Rose Hathaway A post Spirit Bound Story
by WhitRenee
Summary: After Spirit Bound
1. Visitors

"Oh Dimitri", I gasped. He had come to see me in my lowly, imprisoned state. "You actually came", I breathed. He didn't respond. He just stared with his beautiful brown eyes. The idea of him standing outside my cell filled me with a hope I hadn't had since I'd been thrown in here. "Dimitri, say something please," I said gently. He slightly shook his head, a gesture only I would notice, looking as if he was breaking from a trance.

"Rose, I came here to make sure that you were alright. Lissa couldn't stand the thought of them keeping you unkempt," He simply stated. This made my hope shatter a bit. He hadn't come to REALLY see me. He had come to check on me. Which I guess was better than nothing, but I still wish he'd come for me, not because Lissa had told him to. "I can truthfully say that I've been in better situations. I'm thankful that you came for Lissa, but as much as I would love to see her also, I really wanted you. I wanted the satisfaction of knowing that you wanted to see me. Not you running some errand for Lissa," I whimpered. My words made him flinch a little.

"Rose, I keep telling you that I'm indebted to Lissa for eternity. I do whatever she wants, whenever she wants that is within my powers. I cannot escape her requests. And I am truly sorry that this isn't the reason you wished, but that is why I am here, for her," He said blatantly. This really upset me. I turned from the bars so he wouldn't see me cry if I couldn't hold myself together. Breathing evenly, calming myself, I searched my thoughts for the right words. As I turned slowly I caught a glimpse of regret in Dimitri's eyes. Something I doubted he thought I caught sight of.

"Do you realize what I went through for you Dimitri Belikov? I left school, went to Russia, and defended myself alone, all for you! I killed countless Strigoi! Risked my life for you! First, I went after you to save you eternally, by killing you! But after I spoke to a few people and failed to kill you, I formulated an alternate plan to save you! Return you back to your dhampir self! I broke Victor Dashkov out of prison, risked being put at a desk job for the rest of my life, and went out to a warehouse to save you! God damn it Dimitri, don't you see? I'm the one who went through HELL for you," I screamed. Thankfully not alerting the guards. Dimitri stared at me with hurt in his eyes. I felt bad for screaming at him, but what else could I do? I wanted him more than life.

He opened his mouth to speak. No words came out. He tilted his head against the bars looking at me so deeply I was sure he could see into my soul. "Roza, sweet, sweet Roza," He started. His use of my Russian name made me tear up. His voice was like dripping honey when he spoke to me. "I can't fathom what I did to you. I am tormented everyday with images, flashbacks, of what I did to you. I don't understand how you can possibly still love me," He whispered. I was getting heated again. I was suddenly feeling worse than ever.

"I love you. And that is why I can still love you, despite what you did to me. No, despite what that Strigoi did to me. You are Dimitri. Not Strigoi. And I could care less what's in the past. What matters is now. And our future together. Please don't spend a lifetime resisting me. Because I honestly don't think I can take it," I confessed.

He was still leaning his face to the bars. Staring at me. "Alright Rose. I believe you. If you think you can still love me, then maybe there is no point of my resistance. I don't want to pretend that I don't love you. But, if I must I will. For now I will remain undecided. When you get out of this place, I promise to give you a chance. Even if it means me regretting what I did every minute that I am with you. But I will try. For your benefit. Because I do love you. No matter what you feel," He explained.

His words made my emotions explode through the stone roof. I started crying. The tears dripped down my cold face. Dimitri was promising something that I'd waited for him to say for the past few weeks. I was breath-taken. I ran to the bars and shoved my hand into his hair. Finally caressing him for the first time since he was changed. "Oh Roza," He moaned. "Dimitri," I sobbed.

I kissed his lips with as much energy as the sun. "I wish you would never have to go," I silently said. Our kisses made it hard for him to respond. But still he managed. "Yes Roza, I wish I had realized what I was getting myself into when I came here. This is something I cannot possibly forget. I will keep my promise to you and I won't forget. I love you with all of my being. Roza, Roza, Roza," He sweetly whispered into my ear.

I gave in to my name being called out. I pushed against the bars pining for him. I wanted him so badly. But I knew that my efforts were pointless due to the heavy metal bars in front if me. "Guards are coming down the stairs. You better step back before they see you," He informed me way too soon for my liking. I quickly kissed him once more.

He faintly smiled and touched my lips before the sounds of the guards footsteps increased. He mouthed the words "I will come back," to me before I turned my back and I heard Dimitri walk up the stairs. The guards came to my cell and summoned me. They said I was due to a court meeting. My fate would soon be decided.

After my court meeting, I was escorted back to my cell. I was in a little offended by everyone's quick accusation that I killed Tatiana. I mean sure I had hated her, but I would never kill her. But I hadn't helped my case by causing a scene and voicing my opinions publicly about her. I guess I'd just have to see how this played out.

Meanwhile on of my guardians walked over to my cell. "You have a visitor Hathaway." He growled. I looked up and saw Adrian. "Oh Adrian! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed. I had been so out of it that I had forgotten about our makeup just less than three days ago. I unconsciously rubbed the spot on my neck where he'd bitten me in our romantic, non-sex, rendezvous. "Rose, I had to see you. I heard Belikov came here and I immediately made arrangements to see you." He told me. I looked away guiltily.

I was in a love triangle with Dimitri and Adrian. I wanted them both so badly. I had promised Adrian that I would give him the love and attention he deserves and I had gotten Dimitri to promise that he would give us another chance once I got out of here. I had no idea what to do at this point. I couldn't turn my back on Adrian and I still yearned for Dimitri with an individual passion. There was a distinct love for Adrian and another for Dimitri. They could both co-exist in my heart. I loved them both.

Adrian caught my attention when I was reveling in my thoughts too long. "Rose?" He asked worriedly. I looked up at him. "Adrian, I love you." I breathed. He looked at me with loving eyes. I went up to the bars. Pressing against them I tried to entwine my hand in his. It was slightly painful, but I managed. He kissed the top of my hand. I smiled weakly. "Adrian I want to get out of here. I want to bust through this door and go back to your place to finish what we started. I miss you. My heart aches for you." I whispered frantically in his ear. He rubbed my face with his other hand. I rubbed my cheek against his warm, smooth hand. I missed his touch.

"Rose, if I could be as badass as you and bust you out of here, I would do it. I wish I could compel every person that knows about this and make them forget it ever happened. I want you out. I want you safe in my arms. I never want to be away from you. And I don't know how or when, but I promise you, you will not be proven guilty." He spoke with a ferocity that I had never seen in him. It made him so sexy. I just wished he was inside the cell with me and not separated by this door and bars.

I tried to smile at him. "Oh Adrian, I don't know what's going to happen, but as long as I got to see you at least once, I'm going to face whatever they throw at me." I promised him. His jade eyes pierced my soul. I leaned against the bars and kissed him. He held my face still, considering he couldn't reach my neck. I was getting tired of these bars.

We kissed until the guards interrupted us. "Break this up." The guard ordered with a gruff tone. When I couldn't pull away from him, the guardian came over and pulled Adrian away from me. "Thank you sir, but I think I can see myself out." Adrian politely said to the guardian, pushing his hand off his arm. I saw Adrian meet my eyes and smile before I watched the second love of my life walk back up the stairs.

I was beginning to think I would never get out of here. The guardian looked at me and came over to the door. "Don't let me catch you doing that again. This is punishment not make-out hall. I don't think you're in any position to be having relations with any Ivashkov considering what you did." He snarled. Hearing him accuse me also flared up the rage inside me once more. "Considering you have no idea what I go through and what I have or haven't done, I would advise you to keep your mouth shut and stay in your own business." I snapped at him. I was in no mood for anyone to make false accusations tonight.

It must have been early morning for humans, because I was beginning to feel extremely tired. The guardian stood there and watched me walk over to my pathetic excuse for a bed and lay down. He was furious that I had yelled at him. But, I really didn't care. He had no right to assume things about me and tell me what he thinks I have done. I shut my eyes and went to sleep.

I was peacefully dreaming about being on a nice, warm beach when Adrian appeared. "Ah, little dhampir. There you are." He said happily. I forgot he could visit my dreams. "Adrian!" I screamed with joy and ran over to him. I hugged him tightly and he smoothed my hair. I stepped back a little so I could look at him. "I thought I'd find you here." He smiled. I noticed I was wearing a very skimpy bikini, only Adrian's doing. Today I really didn't care what he did. I realized I had desired him too much to care what he dressed me in at this point.

"I must say you look simply smokin' in that bikini." He mused. I laughed at him. The bikini was a sparkling red with two thin slivers of fabric on each of my breasts and two equally thin pieces covering my butt and privates. "Leave it to you to dress me like a skank in these awful times." I teased. He gave me that sloppy smile he always had. He ran his hand through his hair. I looked him up and down. He was wearing black swim trunks. They looked good on him. I noticed his slightly bronzed skin and then when I got to those smoldering green eyes I lost all control. I tackled him playfully and we rolled closer to the crashing waves.

I was hovering on top of him when he untied my top. It fell off against his chest and he threw it to the side. I kissed him passionately before I slipped off his trunks. "Rose are you sure?" He managed to ask between kisses. "Yes Adrian." I whispered. He rolled me over and took my bottom off. Here we both were, completely naked, on the beach, alone, and I couldn't help but feel guilty about doing this. I keep seeing Dimitri in my head. But I quickly pushed those thoughts aside and was thrown into the bliss of Adrian's bite and our bodies molding together. We were one. And god it was amazing. I had waited for us to do this ever since I had agreed to be his girlfriend. The sexual chemistry was at an unnatural high at that very moment.

When the both of us couldn't last any longer, I laid on the side of him and let the waves crash around us. He stroked my tangled, wet hair and I stared into his lovely green eyes. "I love you." He breathed with all the passion evident behind his words. I kissed him and ran a hand through his famous messy hair. I embraced what may be our last intimate moment together.

I drank in every feature. The golden sun fading into the vast blue ocean, the finely grain white sand, and the best of all, Adrian. His beautiful eyes, his smooth skin, his messy black hair, and his sexy smile. I couldn't help but rub my hand up and down his chest. I felt like if I stopped all of this would come crashing down and I would be alone once more. But instead I was able to spend what felt like hours with Adrian.

We waded in the blue water until it was dark and then we entangled ourselves together again in the water until we were tired. I laid on top of him on the shore and gave him sweet kisses. It wasn't until I noticed that he had fallen asleep that I got up. I got on my knees and bent over to kiss him. "I love you Adrian Ivashkov." I whispered in his ear before I got up. I looked back once I got up farther from the water and noticed he was gone.

I didn't know where I was walking to but out of nowhere Dimitri came up and grabbed me by the neck. I gasped and flailed until I noticed his eyes were red. And then I woke up screaming.

After a long night of shaking and tears, I finally pulled myself together. Just because I had dreamed that Dimitri was Strigoi does not mean he is. I was still disturbed. Adrian and I had, had the best night by far, but the ending was the worst. I could still picture those evil, glowing red eyes. They haunted my memory as well.

I got up and notified the guard that I needed to use the restroom. He opened my cell and brought me down a long hallway with a toilet, a sink, and a shower. I told him I would be a while and he walked a little ways back down the hallway before stopping. It was impossible to escape. Not that I dared to escape considering my already poor circumstances and low chances.

I used the disgusting toilet as fast as I could before turning on the shower. Figures there would only be cold water. I hopped in and felt the tingling sensation of the cold stream hitting my skin. It had been about two days since I had showered. I was filthy. I scrubbed myself for a good thirty minutes before turning the water off.

The guard startled me when I pulled back the curtain. He was faced away from me, but he held a towel in his right hand. "Here." He shoved the towel at me and left. I wrapped myself up and caught up with the guardian. He locked me back up and slipped a pair of clothes through the bars. I grabbed them and threw them on the bed. They were definitely not my clothes, but they were better than nothing. So, I pulled on the bra that was a bit too small and the underwear. I pulled the plain white shirt over my head and slipped on the boring black track pants. It's not like I was going anywhere, I thought to myself. I walked back over to the door.

"Hey, uh, do you think I could get a brush or comb by any chance?" I hollered. When no one answered I slumped onto my bed. I was laying there thinking about the amount of stress I was under, when I heard Lissa's voice through the bond. "Rose, are you there?" She was calling out. I couldn't answer her back, but I could only hope she kept talking. "I'm bringing you some necessities and the best clothes I could find at the clothing store here, since no one is allowed on the floor of your room."

I rolled my eyes. Of course they wouldn't let anyone around the "killer's" resting quarters. I couldn't believe this. "I'll be there soon." Lissa promised. I could tell she meant what she said and that she was getting ready to leave.

I sat on my bed until I heard footsteps descending the staircase. When I saw that it was Lissa I jumped up and ran to my door. "Lissa!" I shouted, happy to see her finally. "Rose!" She shouted back, just as excited to see me. "I brought you anything I could scrap up. I have deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, brush, comb, and clothes." She said in one breath. I smiled at her. "Thank you Lissa. I can always depend on you."

She handed me the stuff. She turned around and called one of the guards over. "Excuse me, but do you think it's possible for me to sit in there during my visit. If you stood close by perhaps?" She asked the guard. He stared at her with a hard expression upon his face. He probably thought she was either crazy or very brave. Either way he nodded and opened the door.

My mouth hung open. He let her in. I couldn't believe it. She quickly came inside and hugged me. "Thank you." She showed her gratitude to the man before he took a couple steps away. I realized it was compulsion.

"Oh my goodness Rose I've missed you so much! I haven't seen you in like four days aside from the court meeting. I've been worried sick." She said worriedly. I looked at her closely. Her hair was duller than usual and her eyes had dark circles under them. "Lissa are you feeling alright?" I asked, concern thick in my tone. "I'm not alright, but I'm definitely not the focus. You are the one locked up unjustly." She reminded me. I looked down at my hands. "Right." I mumbled.

She grabbed my hand. "Be strong Rose. You are a fighter. You always have been. I have faith in you. I know you'll be fine. We will be together again soon." She sounded so sure. I just hoped she was right. I nodded slowly. As I stared into Lissa's eyes an idea came to my mind.

"Wait, Lissa, do you think, well never mind." I cut myself off. "Anything Rose. Ask me please." She assured. I hesitated. The guard kept looking back toward us. I could tell my time with Lissa was almost up.

"Can you please use compulsion one me?" I asked all at once. Lissa's face showed her shock to my question. "Well Rose, I don't know." She said cautiously. "Please. I've been having terrible memories of Dimitri as a Strigoi. Can you please make me forget about the nightmare I had about him?" I begged. She looked at me with sympathy. "Okay. I will try." I nodded. "Only my dream. This will take those memories out of my mind."

She looked me in the eyes and held my arms. "Rose, listen to me. You will forget the nightmare of Dimitri. He was never in your dreams. You don't remember that dream at all." I was in a daze. Lissa's spirit compulsion was mesmerizing. After she had finished and I shook off the haze I was amazed. I forgot why she had used compulsion. She hugged me close again. "I will be back." She promised. Then the guardian let her out. I laid back down on my bed and waited for what was to come next.


	2. Rose's Trial

Once Lissa left I figured the guards probably wouldn't let anyone else down here today. I combed my hair. It hurt like hell when I pulled it through the knots that had accumulated over the past few days. I mean come on, these guards could care less about me, let alone my appearance or grooming. To them I was a murderer, a psychopath that probably deserved to rot in here. I hoped that would never be the case.

I was getting tired of wallowing in my thoughts. They were always depressed me even more than I was. The little time I had gotten with my friends was insulting. Lissa hadn't even gotten to tell me what was going on above ground. I started to get aggravated. All day I sit here waiting on these big shots to decide when my fate would be decided. If they would hurry up I could move on with my life and try to help them find who really did kill Tatiana. Because I certainly didn't do it. It had to be someone purposely trying to frame me. They had done a damn good job.

I dropped back onto the pillow. My hair was tightly pulled back so that it wouldn't be as tangled. I could feel the deliria kicking in. I was beginning to imagine that I was out of this place. I wasn't dreaming though. I was just going insane. I could hear the whispers as Lissa, Adrian, Christian, and I walked by. "Did you hear about that Rose girl? She is an amazing guardian. She constantly protects the Dragomir princess from Strigoi." I could hear them whispering amongst themselves.

"ROSE!" I snapped back into reality. I looked up and saw Abe. "What the?" What was he doing here? "What old man?" I mocked. "Couldn't you see I was wasting away over there?" I asked sarcastically. "Yeah well so sorry to interrupt, but we are leaving. Now. You are going to DC, they are ready to decide." He told me.

My face went blank and I felt sick. I was leaving now. DC? Really? Wow. "Change into the clothes Lissa brought you and meet me upstairs." He urged. I nodded and when he left I got dressed. I used all the stuff Lissa brought me. I brushed my teeth without water, swallowing the toothpaste, despite the disgusting taste. I put on the black dress pants and white button down shirt. It looked nice, from what I could tell without a mirror. I slipped on the black flats that Lissa had also brought me. Bless her.

I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and shook it out. It would have to do. A guardian opened my cell and I ran up the stairs, with the guardians close behind. "Stop." One ordered me. I stopped. They pulled my hands back and cuffed them. I sighed heavily. Handcuffs suck. "Go." He barked. I walked speedily over to Abe. We walked out of the door and the sun was just peaking over the horizon. Of course we would be on human time. I hadn't expected so many people to be outside watching me board a plane.

They followed us all the way to the court landing spot, watching me get on the small charter plane. Some of them stared with anger in their eyes and others looked with sympathy. I wish I wasn't some late night attraction. Everyone's eyes were on me. I hated it now that I was in a similar situation like Victor had been. I ignored that thought and focused on my upcoming trial.

All of the guardians from the tiny court prison boarded with me. I counted six of them. They sat in front of me as well as behind me. I was surrounded. Abe was sitting next to me trying to tell me how he would handle the trial, but I was too distracted. I looked out the window. All I could see were the whispy morning clouds.

I thought about the time on the plane I had had a huge migrane and the ghosts had all haunted me. I hadn't put my guard up then, but I wondered what would happen if I put them down now and try to find Tatiana. Would it work? I think if I did it might help. I needed all the help I could get.

I looked over at Abe. "Trust me please." That was all I said to him before I put all my focus on breaking down the invisible wall between me and the dead. I could feel the pounding of my head, but I had to do it. When I finally got it down I was overwhelmed with a surge of the dead. They swarmed around me. I managed to get a hold on them and commanded to see Tatiana. They pointed towards the back of the plane and I saw her sitting in what looked like the nicest seat on the plane. That must've been where she sat when she used this plane.

I called her over and she hesitantly sat on Abe's lap. "Rose." Her voice was different, indescribable. "I don't know who killed me, but I know whoever it was had to have come from inside the Court. No one entered the Court that night according to the groundskeepers and the gate watchers. I remember a male voice. That's all I know. But I know you can figure it out. I believe in you Rose. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. But we all must go now." She warned me. I let them all go and quickly put my wall back up.

When the wall was back up I snapped back into consciousness and gasped for air. "I spoke to her." I whispered to Abe. He understood me. "How? What just happened?" He asked me. "I can speak to the dead. It's a Shadow Kissed thing, but she said it was a male voice. She doesn't know who though." I explained without giving anything away to the guards close to us. "Extraordinary." Abe breathed.

We both tried to come up with a theory on who we thought it could be, but we couldn't. It must have been four hours at least before we landed in DC. "Where are we headed?" I asked Abe. "We are going to the Grand Courtroom. All of the royal families are going to attend and vote. Who knows maybe you'll win." His tone wasn't very assuring.

"Where is it?" I asked, pushing for more details. It is under the Lincoln Monument. We needed an underground location, just in case humans went snooping around." He filled me in. I wasn't feeling very confident about this. But still when we got off the plane I followed them in a series of twists and turns that lead us straight to the base of the Lincoln Monument, where a trap door that could only be noticed by a Moroi or dhampir lay.

The guardians looked around making sure no one saw us. We all slipped in one at a time. Seeing as I was still handcuffed Abe had to catch me, and he almost fell over when I jumped into his arms. One of them closed the door and locked it. We headed down a hallway with fluorescent lights and linoleum tiled floor. I could see scuff marks where expensive shoes have recently walked through here.

When we got closer to what must be a door I could hear talking. It sounded as if there were hundreds of people. But, once we walked in there were only about fifty Moroi families and I noticed Lissa and Adrian in the crowd. Lissa sat with Adrian and his parents. She looked worried and he looked sick. I hated seeing them like that. I made eye contact with them. "Please be careful with what you say." She pleaded. I slightly nodded to her and then looked around at the others.

I didn't recognize any one else in the room. But when the judge finally entered I stared above the audience's heads. I pledged to tell the truth and then the questioning began. A woman named Carla Vitola was the one questioning me. She was pretty. She was a tall, fair skinned, dark haired Moroi woman. She had a slender build like most Moroi and she was sort of friendly. For a lawyer I guess. She questioned me for the longest time.

"Did you realize that all the evidence points to you?" She asked. "Yes I do." I confirmed. "Well then I have to say, this is going to be tough." I nodded. "Miss Hathaway when you were in the Courtroom during the decision of the age law, what did you call the queen?" She asked. I looked at her and answered. "I called her a sanctimonious bitch." She looked intrigued. "Yes and did you think that this might cause a ruckus at the time?" She asked me. I shook my head. "I didn't think at all." I admitted.

Abe looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "Enough Misses Vitola." The judge said. She too was a Moroi woman that looked no older than forty. She looked at Abe. "Mr. Mazur, you may now question her." She told him. "Thank you. Judge Selikos." He said.

"Miss Hathaway were you ever in a battle." I looked at him. "Yes I was. At our school last year." He nodded. "And you were honored for that, yes?" "Yes I was." He nodded again. "Alright and you have saved Vasilisa Dragomir countless times before correct?" I had no idea where he was getting at. "Yes of course. We share a very rare mental bond." I answered. "And you are in good graces with the Ivashkov family correct?" I looked over at Daniella and Adrian. They looked nervous. "Yes, I believe so. I am dating one at the time." I told him.

"Well then your Honor I think that Rose, um, Miss Hathaway has no grudges against a royal family, especially the Ivashkovs." He reasoned. "Duly noted Mr. Mazur." She said. "Take your seat." He obeyed and I stepped down from the little questioning booth. I sat next to Abe. "Based on this questioning please vote on whether you think Miss Rosemary Hathaway is guilty of murdering Queen Tatiana.

They all looked at the judge. "All in favor of guilty please raise your hand." I had counted eighty families. Forty-nine hands went up and I hung my head. I was guilty. Well I had tried. It was a close vote. But then Lissa and Adrian stood up. "What the hell?" I whispered. "You all think Rose is totally innocent you will vote for her to be innocent." Lissa said. "Yes, she is innocent." Adrian backed Lissa up. I can't believe it. They were using compulsion. "Judge Selikos, take a vote again." Lissa told her. The judge nodded. And they both sat down.

The judge shook her head and said, "Everyone who thinks Rosemary Hathaway is guilty of the murder of Queen Tatiana raise your hands." I couldn't believe it when no one raised their hands. Lissa and Adrian had saved me. "Well then I hearby declare Rosemary Hathaway not guilty for the murder of Queen Tatiana." And she pounded her gavel. I cried out. "Yes!" I hollered and everyone clapped. What? Clapping? This was insane. I was free.

"Uncuff her." Judge Selikos ordered. "She is now allowed to go back to Court and be released from being captive." She said. "Dismissed." She hollered and everyone filed out. I ran over to Lissa and hugged her, almost knocking her over.

"I can't believe you did that you were amazing!" I muttered in her ear. She smiled. I was crying and Adrian pulled me over to him once we had stopped in the long hallway. "Thank god it did work. I wasn't going to lose you Rose." He whispered to me. "I had to at least try." He told me. I kissed him.

Abe walked over and punched me lightly in the arm. "You did it kid. That friend of yours is very special." He said jokingly. "Yeah sure Zmey." I teased. He smiled and we all filed down the hall.

I was happy to have Lissa and Adrian there. Without them I would have been executed for sure. I sighed. I trailed slightly behind them. I wondered what it would be like back at Court once news got out of my innocence. I was thinking about this when Reece Ivashkov came walking up behind me. I jumped.

"It isn't over." He maliciously said in my ear. "I should've been in power all along." He hissed. I couldn't believe it. Shock and realization flooded through me. It was him. He killed Tatiana. I rushed away from him and I could hear his cackling behind me. I was scared now.


	3. Back To Court

I stood just at the base of the Lincoln Monument. I watched Reece closely as he walked back to his guardian and left. He looked back at me and smiled maliciously before turning around and following his guardian. I was extremely tense. Had it not been for Adrian holding my hand I probably would have pounced on Reece.

"Hey Rose, what's wrong?" Lissa asked. I shook my head and looked at her. "Nothing Liss, nothing." I assured her. She looked at me with doubt in her eyes. I could feel through the bond that she was starting to get tired, an affect of the spirit using and the fact that we were on an alternate schedule than usual.

"I wonder what is going on back at Court. I wonder if they're revolting yet." Adrian teased with a thoughtful tone in his voice. I shot a sideways glance at him. "I don't think they'll be happy, but hey they can't try me again, so it really doesn't matter what people say." I told him. He chuckled. "At least you're out now. No more jail cell." He said. "Yeah." I sighed.

I had a flash of Dimitri coming to see me. His promise to me. "When you get out of this place, I promise to give you a chance. Even if it means me regretting what I did every minute that I am with you. But I will try. For your benefit. Because I do love you. No matter what you feel." He had said to me. I felt horrible right about now. I was holding Adrian's hand, reminding me of my commitment to him, but I had already fucked up because I had given in to my desire for Dimitri less than two days ago.

"Adrian, I need to tell you something." I told him. He looked at me with those jade eyes and I couldn't breathe. "Yes?" He asked expectantly. I was going to tell him about Dimitri, but I just couldn't. At least not now. "I've really missed you." I said instead. He smiled his signature sloppy half smile. "I've missed you more." He said, kissing my hand. I smiled. We reached the plane and boarded. Only three of the six guardians had boarded this time, accompanied by Abe. Adrian and Lissa were allowed to fly back with us since I was no longer a threat.

When the doors closed and we took off I couldn't stop thinking about Dimitri. How was I going to tell him, or Adrian. I had basically been involved with them both. Cheating I guess. I was a terrible girlfriend. I looked at Adrian sitting beside me. He was sleeping already. He looked so peaceful, so solemn. I hated keeping secrets from him, but I couldn't tell him. At least not until we were alone.

I moved out of the seat, being very careful not to wake him. I went to sit by Lissa, but when I realized she was asleep as well I just went to sit back down. I thought about going to talk to Abe, but from the sounds of the snoring behind my seat, I could only guess that he was also asleep. So, I sat back and closed my eyes.

I was more tired than I had thought because I fell asleep quickly. I was dreaming of being at the ski lodge where Adrian and I had first met last year. I had hated him at first, but had finally come around the more time we had spent together. I leaned against the banister outside. I felt someone rub against my back and rest their chin against my shoulder. I could smell clove cigarettes and knew that it was Adrian.

"What brings you here little dhampir?" He whispered in my ear. I looked up and sighed. "Old memories I guess." I replied. I could feel his lips against my neck. "What brings you here?" I asked in return. "You." He said. I smiled faintly. I was still feeling guilty about not telling him about Dimitri. I had to tell him. This was the most private place.

"Adrian when I told you I missed you earlier, well that was definitely not a lie, but it wasn't what I had wanted to tell you." I confessed. I turned to face him. He looked me right in the eyes. "Rose you can tell me anything. But I have a feeling I already know who this is about. Belikov right?" He said. I looked at him guiltily. I nodded. "How did you know?" I asked, my head hung, looking down at the wooden balcony floor. He lifted my chin and looked at me intensely.

"Rose when I heard Belikov had been the first one to see you I knew you would have something to say to him. I mean you still love him I know that, but I also know that you love me too." He reassured me. He was way too nice to me sometimes. Overlooking all the things I do wrong. "But Adrian I kissed him and he promised me he would give me another chance. He still loves me too. But I just can't do it. Not now." I sobbed.

He wiped the tears from my face. "Don't cry. Please. I don't think I'll be able to stand it. I can't even imagine the situations you've been through. Losing your first love to Strigoi, and then bringing him back only to have him reject you. I just don't know how you've done it. Rose, you are my first everything. The first person I've actually fallen in love with, and the only one I ever will truly fall in love with. I can't even imagine what it would be like to think I'd lost you forever.

I was crying more and more with each loving word that came out of Adrian's mouth. He kissed me softly. "Talk to Belikov tomorrow. Tell him how you feel and then come and let me know what you decide. If you pick him I'll understand why. I won't be mad. I swear though I won't stop loving you." He told me. I looked at him and squeezed him. I held on to him like my life depended on it. "I don't deserve someone like you." I cried out.

He held me to him. "No Rose, I don't deserve you." He countered. I shook my head. "Oh Adrian. I love you." I kissed him and hugged him with all of my energy before he kissed the top of my head and smiled at me. "Time to go little dhampir." He sighed. And then he walked off and I woke up.

We were back at Court and I was feeling a little on the sick side. I had to talk to Dimitri today. Explain things to him and make a decision which would ultimately rip my heart in two no matter who I chose. We landed and when we all got off the plane a flood of people crowded around us. Some people shouted angrily. "How could they let you out?" One woman yelled. I shot her a nasty look which shut her up.

Abe and the guardians walked in front of Adrian, Lissa, and I. When we got away from the crowd Dimitri ran up to me and picked me up. "Oh Roza I'm so glad you're okay." He said into my ear. I smiled weakly. I looked back to see Adrian nod at me and walk towards his room. Lissa looked over at me and sent me a message through the bond. "Talk to him, it may be the only chance you get." She told me. I nodded and then she too walked towards her room.

Dimitri looked at me contently. I ran a hand over the top of my head. "Hey, um, can we please go back to my room. We need to talk." I asked. "Alright." He simply said. So we headed off towards my room. I remembered Lissa telling me that they had restricted my floor when she had come to visit me, but everything was back to normal. Even my room was clean and all my stuff in it's place.

"What is it Rose?" Dimitri asked, sitting down in a chair close to my bed. I sat on the bed facing him. "Remember what you promised me the day you came to visit me?" I asked, already knowing he did. "I wouldn't dare forget." He ensured me. I stared down at my hands. "Yes, well Dimitri, I, I can't believe I'm saying this but, I love Adrian." I could feel the heaviness in the air. "I see." He said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Well, I can't help who you love, but I guess you just realized that you had no need for me anymore." He said. My head shot up. "Dimitri I love you too! I can't get enough of you. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me! I love Adrian and I love you! I'm a horrible person, disloyal, untrustworthy, but god damn it I can't do this!" I hollered. He looked at me sympathetically.

He got up at stood in front of me. He pulled me to my feet and held me to him. His chin was resting on the top of my head. "Oh Roza, you are so spontaneous." He said. He bent his head down to kiss me, but I put my hand against his chest, slowly pushing him away. "I can't Dimitri." I was crying again. Dimitri looked towards my window. "Rose I don't care about your decision. I love you, always. And you may be with Adrian, but knowing that you will still love me is enough to keep me going forever."

I was astounded by his sudden acceptance. "But Dimitri," I stuttered. "Rose I will wait. Even if you never come back to me, I'll always be here for you, always defend you. No matter what." He promised. I hugged him once more before he kissed my cheek and left. I was sitting on the bed and pulled my knees up to my chest. I probably looked a mess. I went into the bathroom and showered. I put on fresh clothes and laid back down on my bed, curling into a ball.

I must've fallen asleep, because I woke up rubbing my eyes. It was completely dark outside now. I decided I should probably go see Adrian. I quickly brushed my teeth and combed my hair. I rushed out the door and over to Adrian's room. But I was horrified by what I found. Adrian was passed out on the floor with blood streaming from his head.


	4. Surprises

"Oh my god!" I gasped. "Adrian? Adrian!" I yelled. He groaned and I lifted his head. I could see a small gash from the side of his forehead to just below his temple. "Who would do this to him?" I asked myself.

I used all my strength to lift Adrian onto his bed. When he was finally on the bed I examined his head closer. The blood was starting to dry up around the cut. I went into his bathroom and got a washcloth and ran it under some warm water. When I went back in the room, I gently wiped the blood off his head.

When all the blood was gone I could see the cut clearly now. It didn't look too deep, but it did look painful. Whoever had done this didn't have intentions to kill him. I looked at him closely. His eyes were tightly closed. I couldn't believe this had happened to him.

I was snooping around for some gauze and bandage tape, when Adrian came walking into the bathroom. "Rose?" He said wearily. "Adrian, you need to go lay back down." I motioned him towards the bed. He looked like hell. "But, I'm fine really." He tried to say with confidence. "No sir, you really need to lay back down." I asserted. He looked at me with squinted eyes, like he was trying to see in bright light. "Okay, okay." He muttered before going back in the room.

I followed after him, finally finding a first aid kit. "This out to stop the little bit of bleeding." I said to him. He looked up at me and attempted a smile. "What did you do to yourself?" I teased. He chuckled weakly. "Well, I certainly didn't want this. Some bastard snuck up on me. I could barely hear his cackling on the way out. Oddly it sounded like Reece, but I know it wasn't him." He said and I froze.

"Wait what did you say?" I asked rapidly. "Reece, remember him. I said the laugh sounded like his, but I know it wasn't him. He's my great uncle." Adrian said. I looked at him. So Reece had killed Tatiana and now he was coming for Adrian. Why? Was he out to get the Ivashkovs, seriously? I thought silently as I put gauze on the side of Adrian's head.

The gauze looked very out of place on his perfect face. It hurt me to see him like this. I had never seen a bruise on Adrian, let alone a gash on the side of his head unknowingly caused by his own great uncle, Reece Ivashkov, a crazy, power hungry psycho.

I laid next to Adrian on the bed. I curled up next to him. I would imagine he would have a headache, but when I thought about it, Lissa could heal him. I just had to call her. I picked up the phone next to Adrian's bed and dialed Lissa's number. She picked up after the second ring.

"Hello?" She said with a surprised tone. "Lissa! It's me!" I exclaimed. "Rose? Is everything alright?" She asked cautiously. "No, Adrian's been hurt." She gasped. "Don't tell anyone, can you please just come over?" I asked hurriedly. I heard the phone click and I set it down. She was already on her way. I set the phone down and a second later there was a knock at the door.

I jumped up and opened the door. "Lissa!" I shouted. "Can you please help him?" I asked. She looked at me with a worried expression. "What's wrong with him?" She asked, looking over at him on the bed. "Well, I came to see him and I found him lying on the floor unconscious." I pointed to the small bloodstain on the carpet. I had to clean that later, I mentally noted.

She grimaced at the sight of the blood. "Well, let me look at him." She said, walking over to Adrian. He was awake now. "Ah, Lissa so nice of you to stop by." He said smoothly. She smiled. "Sure cousin, I'm going to heal that nasty cut of yours." She told him. He moved his head slightly. She removed the gauze that I had just put on and examined the cut. She carefully place her hand on it and closed her eyes.

When she lifted her hand and let out a breath of air, she staggered back a little. Adrian's cut was completely gone and he was now sitting up on the edge of the bed. "Good thing we have your healing power, otherwise I would've been scarred." He said thankfully. "No problem Adrian." Lissa replied cheerily.

I realized I was biting my fingernails when Lissa tapped me lightly. "Hey, what's the matter?" She asked. "Uh, nothing. I just think that whoever killed Tatiana is after the Ivashkovs. I mean first Tatiana and now her favorite nephew. This isn't a coincidence." I pointed out. They both nodded.

"Well, Rose I need to go. I'm meeting Christian at eight and it's almost seven-fifty." She inquired. I smiled at her. "Go ahead. I'm glad you two finally made up." I grinned. She hugged me and then left, leaving us alone. I went over to Adrian, who was sitting back against the pillows. I crawled up next to him and rested my head on his chest.

"You came back for me?" He asked doubtfully. I looked up at him. "Why wouldn't I? I made a promise to you. I've been a bad enough girlfriend as it is, I can't fuck this up." I told him. He smiled. "Great. I couldn't have asked for anything better." He said running his hands through my hair.

Every now and then I would get a flashback of Dimitri stroking my hair, or my cheek, but I knew who I was with for now and that was Adrian. We laid like that for about an hour, before I heard my stomach growl loudly. "Hungry little dhampir?" He asked sweetly. I laughed. "I think so." I said back. "Well, let's go eat." He said getting up. I got up with him and we walked out the door hand in hand.

When we sat down at a nearby restaurant, I could feel the stares and hear the whispers about either us or me, maybe even both. I really didn't care, but it annoyed me that people still thought of me as a killer. We were eating contently when I spotted him out of the corner of my eye. Dimitri. He was chewing on a turkey sandwich and reading a book that I could only guess was a western.

I looked immediately back at Adrian so I wouldn't be tempted into memories or fantasies about him. I couldn't deal with that right now. Adrian smiled at me while he ate his chicken. I slurped my spaghetti and tried to focus on something other than Dimitri. Adrian and I tried to talk, but our mouths were too full to speak. When I looked back over, Dimitri was gone and a sense of relieve washed over me.

When we were done eating, Adrian paid the waiter and we left. I wanted to stay with Adrian, but he had to go talk to his parents, but he said he could come over when he was finished. Being content with that he kissed me quickly and walked off towards his parent's house. I walked back to my room. I walked inside and the room was dark, except for the bathroom light streaming one ray across the carpet.

I searched for the light switch and when I found it, flipped it on. I walked over to the bathroom and was stunned when I saw Dimitri completely naked in my bathroom.


	5. Suspect

He looked into my eyes and I couldn't help but stare. "Dimitri what are you doing here?" I finally asked. He wrapped a towel around his waist. I noticed the water dripping down the contour of his stomach. He had the sexiest abs. They weren't all the way defined, but they were there. And his arm muscles, so hot.

I snapped out of my sinful thoughts. "So, why are you here?" I asked again. He walked over to a neatly folded pair of clothes. And pulled a the shirt on. His hair was hanging in his face in the way I loved. Stop it Rose, don't get distracted. I looked at him and he was now fully dressed. He tossed the towel in the clothes basket and sat down in the chair next to my bed.

"I came to talk, only I didn't expect you to be back so soon." He admitted. I gave a silent, sarcastic laugh. "What is it you want to talk about?" I asked. He watched me closely. I walked over to my bed and sat down facing him. "I wanted to know if you have a theory who might have killed Tatiana." He said unexpectedly.

I was caught off guard by his question. "I, I think I know." I told him. His face turned hard. "Tell me Rose. We have to put this person to justice." he said patriotically. It was funny to see him all political. "Well on the plane I let my walls down and spoke to Tatiana. She told me she thought it was a male. And after the trial Reece Ivashkov came up to me and now I know it's him. I also think it's him because Adrian was cut earlier today and he said he'd heard cackling that sounded like Reece's laugh. Tatiana told me the same thing. She had heard cackling. It has to be him. But he had also said something about how he should've been in power all along. It's got to be him." I explained.

Dimitri sat with a thoughtful expression on his face. "This sounds legitimate. I'll look into it." He affirmed. "You can't tell anyone." I told him. He looked at me. "Of course." he said sexily. He stood up and glanced over at the clock. It's getting late I should go. I hadn't noticed he'd been here for almost three hours. Adrian should be coming and I didn't need him to find Dimitri in my room.

"Okay. It was, it was, um, nice to see, nice to," I couldn't even finish a damn sentence. I didn't have to because he sweetly pecked me on the lips. I was such a hoe. I thought to myself. "See you Roza." He said before shutting the door behind him.

I had to stop giving in to him. I got undressed and leapt in the shower. There was steam everywhere and it swirled around me in heavy puffs. I inhaled it and let it soothe me. I jumped when suddenly Adrian joined me in the shower. He looked me up and down with lustful eyes.

"Beautiful." He mused, beginning to kiss my collarbone. "Oh, Adrian." I sighed. "You are such a horndog." I teased. He chuckled and rubbed his hands across my chest. When I cut the shower off, he picked me up and tossed me softly onto the bed. "This time I brought protection, and this time it's real." He proclaimed. I smiled. "Thank god. I don't think I could have resisted you this time." I admitted. He put on the condom and then we were meshed together in throws of passion and bliss.

He didn't bite me this time, but he didn't have to because it was somehow better than being bitten. "Adrian." I moaned and he kissed me sweetly. I loved it when we were like one person. I was exhausted when he stopped. I rolled over and laid on my stomach, while Adrian traced his finger up and down my spine.

"You are amazing, I said in between my deep breaths." He grinned. "I must say, you are a wild one Rose Hathaway." I laughed at him. I scooted close to him and we tangled our legs together. He was holding me in his arms. I liked the thought of us being able to do this often. "I love you." He said, kissing me. "And I love you too." I declared. He smiled and then there was a knock at the door.

"Rose it's Dimitri, something terrible has happened. Daniella Ivashkov has been attacked!" He yelled outside the door. Adrian and I both sprang up and threw on our clothes. Adrian opened the door and Dimitri had what looked like disappointment hidden behind his eyes. Never mind that, Daniella needed us. I ran to the door. "Dimitri what happened?" I asked urgently. " Someone stabbed her." He said, making Adrian break into a sprint.

When we reached the Ivashkov's She was surrounded by medics and clutching her side. "Adrian!" She yelped when she saw her son. "Mom what happened?" he demanded looking down at her side. "He stabbed me." She said shaking her head. "Who mom? Who stabbed you?" He said frantically. "Reece."

"Reece." I whispered angrily to myself. Staring at Daniella and Adrian arguing. "Mom, are you sure it was Reece?" He asked. She looked distressed. "Yes damn it!" She yelled, startling Lord Ivashkov. I looked over and saw Lissa just coming through the door. "Oh no!" Lissa shrieked. "What has happened?" She asked frenzied, immediately reaching over to heal her. In a matter of seconds her wound was gone. Lissa stood up and looked down, swaying slightly.

I noticed I was squeezing Dimitri's hand and dropped my hand instantly. He shifted beside me. Once Daniella had told the guardians everything that she could, they filed out. At last, Reece was about to be punished for what he did. The sun was rising and it was almost seven. "Adrian! I should stay and help." I said firmly. He shook his head. "No Rose. Go and get some rest. I'm going to help my mom to bed and then I am going to get some sleep too. I should probably walk you back to your room though." He said, jumbling most of his words. "No." Dimitri countered. "I'll see that she gets home." he added.

Adrian looked at me with deliberation. "Alright. Goodnight Rose." He said, quickly kissing me before turning and helping his mother to her room. I glanced over my should as Dimitri led me out of the door. We walked side by side back to my room. "Thanks." I said to him. He nodded and I was closing the door when he put his hand inside the door. "I think I should stay, just in case someone tries to harm you." He persuaded. "I don't know." I said. "Please." He pleaded. I stood there for a minute before opening the door and letting him in.

Of course he walked over to the chair he usually sat in. When I undressed, I forgot about Dimitri and ran into the bathroom. I slipped on my clothes and crawled into the bed. I was warm and content, feeling protected with Dimitri right next to my bed. "Goodnight." I said, closing my eyes. "Goodnight sweet Roza." He said. "I won't ever leave you." I barely heard him before I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I had a black, dreamless sleep, and when I woke up I found Dimitri lying next to me. He was laying on his back. His face showed no expression as he laid there with his hands clasped together near his waist. His eyes were closed, but from the way he was breathing I doubted that he was sleeping. I rolled over, my back facing him and ignored the fact that he was laying next to me. I looked at the clock. ten o'clock. Time to get up I guess.

Getting up must've startled Dimitri because he pinned me down, defensively, I think. His hair hung in his face the way I loved so much. I touched his cheek. "Dimka." I whispered, before rolling out from under him. He sighed. I looked over my shoulder and went into the bathroom.

Shrugging out of my clothes, I stepped into the shower. The water was cold, and goosebumps rose on my arms. I washed and got out. I was shaking when I stepped into the bedroom. I didn't see Dimitri, so I threw the towel down and started getting dressed. I guess a plain red shirt and jeans would do. So, I slipped on my underwear.

I was grabbing my bra when Dimitri sat up in the chair. He looked up at me. I jumped, embarrassed that he had caught me off guard. I didn't bother covering up. I mean, he'd seen me naked. Hell we'd had sex. It really didn't matter. besides the fact that Adrian would not like the thought of Dimitri still seeing me naked.

He walked over to me and rubbed his hands down my arms. He half smiled. I couldn't stop him this time. I gave in to the temptation. I let him caress me, even though I knew it was wrong. I couldn't believe myself. He gently rubbed a hand down my side and stopped right at my hip. "Still like a goddess." He said to me, with a lustful look I'd so often seen hidden behind his eyes.

"Thanks." I said shyly. Compliments had become a regular now. "I need to go now." He said, getting up from his spot. "I could come back." He inquired, pausing before opening the door. "Maybe." I shrugged. I went over to him. He was so sexy. No Rose! Stop it, stop it, stop it! I chastised to myself. I was too caught up in my elf correction that I didn't have time to stop Dimitri.

He swept me into his arms and kissed me with all the pent up emotions all suddenly exploding in this one kiss. "I really don't want to go." He sighed. I kissed him back, a selfish, and wrong thing to do. It wasn't fair to Adrian. It was so tender and loving. When we kissed it was like something had erupted inside of m, an explosion of dynamite in our kiss. I hated being tempted every time I was around him. I pushed away from him, pain and regret welling up inside me.

"I shouldn't have done that." I mumbled. He tilted my chin. "Don't worry, I won't tell." He pledged, winking at me. Something I don't think I've ever seen him do. This stunned me and left me standing in place well after he was gone. I really, really had to stop seeing him alone. I told myself.


	6. Broken

When Dimitri left, I flopped back on the bed. I kept falling into the same trap. Dimitri Belikov. He was the ultimate trap. He was beautiful, protective, sexy, sexy, and oh so sexy. And on top of that he was a kick-ass fighter, an amazing lover, and I wanted him, so bad. But, I had Adrian. That was until he finally found out what a horrible person and utterly horrific girlfriend, and dumps me. In the meantime, I'll just be tempted with Dimitri, until I finally give in and just let him take over.

I was daydreaming of Dimitri, when there was a knock at the door. I swiftly made my way to the door. I found cute, messy-haired, Adrian grinning in the hall. "Good morning little dhampir." He said. I smiled at him. "Good morning Adrian." I kissed him. I always felt guilty when I was with him. Because I knew I was wrong to tempt myself with Dimitri, but I couldn't help it. Still, I felt dishonest. And I was being dishonest.

When Adrian asked me, "Would you like to have breakfast," I broke from my thoughts and patted my stomach. I was hungry, so I agreed. Even if I wasn't hungry, I would have gone with him. He found me amusing and led me out the door.

We sat down and the waitress came instantly. I ordered pancakes and Adrian ordered a spinach omelet. When our food came, Adrian ate his food in a mannerly fashion. Me on the other hand, I poured syrup on my pancakes and dove in.

I stopped shoveling in my food when people started to stare. Not that I cared what people thought, I just didn't want to draw attention to myself. So, I slowed down and to my surprise Adrian finished before me. He took his last bite and pushed his plate away, eloquently wiping his mouth.

When I was finished Adrian paid and we walked out. "Those syrupy pancakes probably made your lips sweet." He said. I licked them slowly. "Oh yea." I laughed before he pulled me in front of him and kissed me delicately. "Yep, definitely sweet, but not from the pancakes." He decided. I had a dopey smile on my face when Lissa fell into step beside us.

"How are you two love birds?" She asked, smiling radiantly. We both looked at her. "Splendid." Adrian managed to reply before me. "Hey, do you guys want to come back to my room?" She kindly asked. This time I answered right away. "Yes!" I hadn't spent much time with Lissa lately and I missed seeing her.

I looked towards Adrian who was staring ahead. "Adrian?" I said, trying to get his attention. "Yes?" He turned and answered. "Are you coming back to Lissa's?" I asked eagerly. "I don't think so. You two need to be alone today. As much as I love you both, I doubt that the topics of choice will be any interest to me." He explained, sounding philosophic.

I was disappointed that Adrian wasn't coming, but he was right. I did want to spend time alone with Lissa. We trekked back to her room and sat down on the bed. When Lissa started talking, I was lost in my thoughts. She was in the middle of a sentence when I interrupted her. "Sorry Liss, but I need to tell you something." She was wide-eyed and ready to hear anything I had to say. She was such a great best friend.

"I don't know how to live with Adrian and Dimitri. I'm with Adrian, but everyday I am tempted with Dimitri. It's like no matter what I do I can't be faithful." I sadly confessed. She put her hand on my leg. "Listen Rose, you are a wonderful person. I know you've been through a lot, but when it comes to guys I think that you should follow your heart." She tried to reason, but that was the problem. My heart was telling me to love them both.

"But Liss, my heart is screaming for Dimitri and Adrian. My heart wants them both. And honestly, I don't know how to live without them." I told her. She looked troubled, but then her face was sad. "Rose, I don't want to hurt you, and you know that, but I need to point something out." I braced myself. "You traveled all the way to Russia for Dimitri, convinced people that a Strigoi could be saved, and were rejected countless times, but you still kept fighting. All for Dimitri."

My heart ached more and more each time she reminded me of what I did. "I think you know who the your heart is yearning for. He's always been the one. The one you risked every aspect of your life for. I saw you. You were dead when he was gone. And when you found him, even as a Strigoi, you found hope again. I know you thought of the possibility of you being with him, even as a Strigoi, and that's why you know he is the one."

Lissa was right, but she was crucifying me. Every time I realized the truth behind her words it was like a knife cutting deeper and deeper. I was lying to myself, I was lying to everyone. I loved Dimitri and I was just hurting Adrian more by being with him. I mean I did love Adrian, but when it came down to my heart's ultimate decision, it was Dimitri, and it killed me to admit to myself, but Lissa was right.

She must've noticed the pain inside of me and stopped. She hugged me and looked me right in the eyes. "Don't beat yourself up over this. Maybe being with Adrian is what you want, but just be truthful to yourself. I love you and I want the best for you." She tried to soothe. But, I already felt bad enough, Lissa babying me wasn't going to do anything for me.

We talked for a little while longer, but Christian called and asked Lissa to meet him. So, we wrapped up our conversation and split ways. I was sure I looked absolutely miserable, because I felt absolutely miserable. On my way back to my room, Adrian found me. He was the last person I wanted to see in my grieving state.

He alarmed me when I noticed he wasn't himself. He tried to kiss me, but when I smelled alcohol, I denied him. He followed me all the way to the room, babbling something about a party he had gone to. I wasn't mad, but I was a little upset that he hadn't told me about a party he was going to. I decided it didn't even compare to my faults, so I just let him off the hook.

That was until he tried to take my clothes off. I stepped away from him, but when he tried again I pushed him lightly. This made him angry and he got aggressive. He tried harder, this time ripping my shirt. "Stop Adrian!" I yelled, startling him.

He stepped back and smirked. "Of course you wouldn't want me to touch you. I guess I just don't compare to your precious Dimitri." His words burned me deep. "What?" I was getting pissed at him. I knew he was drunk, but he never acted like this. "You heard me. You never told me what a whore you were behind my back. Yeah Rose, the guys told me how you sleep with Belikov almost every night. They say they see him come into your room every night. And I believe them. I mean, I knew you loved him, but I never thought you would lie to me like that. But once they started saying more, I finally believed."

I couldn't understand why he would even accuse me of this. I never slept with Dimitri. Not since back in the cabin. Who were these people that were telling him these lies! "Stop it!" I warned him. He still looked at me with a sarcastic smile plastered across his face.

"Don't try to avoid this. You know you don't really love me. I mean face it, if you loved me, you'd let me seduce you, even if I am drunk. You're not even honest enough with yourself to own up to your lies. You'd fuck Belikov no matter what was wrong with him, but no, not me. I'm just temporary, right?"

I couldn't take it anymore. "Get out." I growled at Adrian. "Aw what's the matter you don't want me to stay with you. Oh wait I forgot, Belikov is waiting for me to leave." He taunted. "That is it! Get out Adrian, NOW!" I screamed. He apparently found himself funny, because he didn't move. He just stared at me. "Sorry Rose, but I'm not going anywhere." I charged towards him, but I wasn't expecting him to hit me. He swung his hand around and punched me in the mouth. Blood dripped from the corner.

"Damn it Adrian! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" I still hollered, wiping my mouth. He started to stagger out but stopped. I got up and opened the door pushing him out. But he fell to the floor and slid between my feet. He kicked my feet out from under me and caused me to fall against the door. When I fell the force had made the door shut and my head smashed against the corner of the small table. I wondered how he was so crafty even when he was drunk.

"How's that feel Rose? Does it feel good to hurt. Is it pleasurable, because that's how I felt when I found out you've been lying to me. It felt like I was being beaten to death. I never thought you would lie to me, never. I thought we shared something special, but obviously not." He spat. I was crying now, so I couldn't see his face clearly.

"But I do love you, and I can't control what other people tell you, or even what you believe, but I haven't slept with Dimitri. If that's what you believe, then fine, but I can honestly say that since he was Strigoi and then changed I haven't had sex with him." I cried.

Obviously none of this mattered to Adrian, because he just laughed. "Of course you say that because you're lying, even to yourself, so until I get what I came for, I'm not leaving." He declared. I was getting up when he slammed my head into the table and I blacked out.

I could feel Adrian taking advantage of my body. He was basically raping me, but there wasn't much I could do. I just laid there limply. I still had black spots in my vision, but I was gaining back my consciousness piece by piece.

Once I was fully aware of what he was doing, my guardian instincts kicked in and I threw him into the wall. He groaned and slumped over. "How could you do this to me?" I asked, broken hearted and teary eyed. "You are leaving now, and never coming back. I don't think I ever want to see you again." I whispered angrily. He got up and stumbled out the door. "I knew you'd do this to me." He said, slurring his words. "Goodbye Rose. I loved you." Those were Adrian's last words before he slammed the door.


	7. Honesty

I shook violently with each breath, I was bawling. I hurt so much, not physically, but in my soul. I knew that Adrian was drunk, but a part of him knew what he was doing and that's why it hurt even more. I had collapsed on the floor, unwilling to move. I was punishing myself. None of the stuff Adrian had accused me of was true, but I still couldn't believe what he'd done. A huge chunk had been ripped from inside of me.

I stayed curled up on the floor until Lissa found me the next morning. She was hysterical when she saw me. I didn't even care. She tried to get me up, but she couldn't I was a statue. I didn't budge. She was still frantic. "Oh my gosh Rose what happened! Your face is bruised, your clothes are ripped! Who did this to you?" She wailed. I shut my eyes trying to block her out, but she kept asking.

"Adrian." I breathed. "He's not here Rose." She said to me. She didn't know that I was telling her that he did this to me. She'd never suspect him. "No Lissa, Adrian did this." I croaked. Her hand slipped over her mouth. "You're lying. Rose he couldn't, wouldn't, ever do this." She tried to confirm. "But he did." I assured her. She was petrified. She knew I wasn't lying. She couldn't speak after that.

I still hadn't moved from my spot well after Lissa had left me. I didn't know where she went, but I was sure she'd probably be back. I tried to uncurl myself, but my body hurt too, unfortunately. I slowly got up, but when I took a step, I fell to my knees. I was pitiful and weak, just plain disgraceful. I was crying again with my hands covering my face when Lissa and, oh god, Adrian walked through the door.

"Look what you've done!" She fussed at him. He stared at me and shook his head. "I did this to her." He claimed. "Yes, you did." Was all I could manage. He had the audacity to smirk at me. "Get the fuck out Adrian." I said. "How nice of you Rose. I'm sure Belikov is dying to save you from your stupor." I jumped up and slapped him with all of the strength I could muster, scaring Lissa and causing Adrian to fly out the door. "I hope you felt that, because that's just a small fraction of the pain I feel, every goddamn day. So before you make false accusations, check yourself." I snapped.

He turned and walked away. I was heaving now. What did I do to deserve this? I never imagined Adrian doing this to me. Lissa tried to comfort me, but it was useless. She just watched, distraught at the sight of my sorrow. "Go Lissa. I love you and I need you to get out of here. I don't want you to see me like this." I turned away from her. She kissed me on the forehead and walked out, shutting the door quietly behind her. I went into the bathroom and let the cold water fill up the tub.

I didn't bother taking off my clothes. I just submerged myself and waited for my oxygen to run out. I wasn't planning on killing myself, I just needed the feeling. To know how real all of this was. When I couldn't hold on any longer I came up, gasping. I jumped out and let the water out. I sat on the floor. I started shaking, so I pulled my knees up to my chest. I closed my eyes and let my mind take over.

I was dreadfully replaying the scene from earlier when Dimitri startled me. I was wrapped in his arms. He held me tightly, carrying me out of the bathroom. He stood me up and pulled off my wet clothes. He redressed me and picked me up again, carrying me to the chair where he sat and held me in his lap.

"I'm so sorry Roza." He apologized in my ear. I turned towards him, holding onto his neck. "This is all my fault Dimitri." I sobbed. "It never would have happened if I would have just coped with your rejection." I said. He looked down at me. "Rose, none of this was your fault. Adrian was way out of line. He had no valid excuse for doing this to you." He affirmed. I closed my eyes. I could think of plenty of excuses, but none of it mattered, he hated me. "Adrian hates me and he should, I've been pining for you behind his back." I sadly admitted. Dimitri was still. "He still abused you." He reminded me. I was crying again. Since when was I so sensitive?

"He told me that some people had told him that we were having sex, only he didn't say it so nice." I sniffled. He rubbed my back. He quickly got up and settled on the bed, with me still in his lap. "I'm sorry Rose, for everything. I want you to be happy, with or without me." He said. I gazed into his eyes. They showed all the love he had for me. Endless pools of brown bliss. I wrapped myself around Dimitri. He hugged me to him.

"I need you. I thought I could be fair and have Adrian, but it's apparent that he doesn't want me. I've been lying to myself, and everyone. My heart, mind, body, and soul is screaming for you. And I need to know if yours is too." I blurted. His face was smooth. "Rose you already know that my heart stops beating when I'm without you. I need you as much as I need air. You are the very core of my existence. And even that isn't an accurate comparison of my love for you." He wooed.

"Dimitri." I exhaled. I kissed him, only this time I didn't hold back. I let all my feelings go. My anger, anxiety, love, fear, desire, passion, and dedication all packed in the one kiss. He pressed me to him. I clung to him desperately.

It was late for us. Almost ten o'clock in the morning. He covered me up before taking off everything but his boxers and climbing in the bed. I was still dressed so I got up and pulled off my jeans and shirt. Finally laying next to Dimitri with no restraint felt great. I was still hurting over Adrian, but Dimitri was the only person who could help me recover. And so I fell asleep against his chest and let the satisfaction of being honest cover me.


	8. Bloodcurdling Truth

Waking up next to Dimitri startled me at first, but made me feel like I finally belonged. I was still in denial of last nights events, but I was going to get better as long as Dimitri was there for me. I couldn't help but blame myself for rumors that must be circulating throughout the community about me and Dimitri. I mean it was true that he had been with me in my room, but leave it to the people to come up with the scenarios. But, I still never expected Adrian to treat me like he did.

I couldn't think about that anymore so I stretched, waking Dimitri. "Hello Roza." Were the first words to come out of his mouth. I smiled brightly. Of course I would be the first thing he thought of, as he was the first thing I thought of. He was my everything.

Propping myself up with my elbow, I drank in Dimitri's features. His eyes, his lips, his hair, and his body that was so divine. I couldn't help but make sure I noticed every little minute detail. I was now sitting up to get a better view. He softly caressed my shoulder. I fell supported myself with my arms extended behind me and dropped my head back, closing my eyes.

I let nothing cloud my mind but the sensation of his touch. His hands were rough and smooth at the same time. Rough from years of wear and tear training where calloused skin had built up at the tips of his fingers. And smooth where the old skin had finally gave way and allowed new skin to take it's place. It was an impeccable feeling.

As he traced his hand lower, I opened my eyes. His hand was over my chest and he bent down to kiss my neck. Exoticness was always Dimitri's strong suit. He never ceased to amaze me. He brought his other hand to my hair and twisted it around his fingers. I moved myself closer. His hand dropped from my hair and went down my back until it reached my butt. He stopped there and traced his hand in random circles on my back, while still kissing my neck.

"Dimitri." I breathed. He moved from my neck and kissed me. I held him there until we both needed air. We were both breathing heavily now. He didn't stop very long, because seconds later he was kissing me again. I pulled myself onto him without breaking our kiss. He put his arms around my waist and pressed me against him. I felt his excitement and pushed against him more. I was panting and still I wanted more.

He swiftly unhooked my bra and let it fall off. I watched it slide off my shoulders and in between us. I picked it up and threw it to the side. He smoothed his hands down the front of me. He stared me in the eyes and said, "Rose I want you now more than ever. I have to have you." I was astounded by his sudden outburst. "Of course Dimitri. Anything for you." I whispered softly into his ear.

He thrust me against the pillows and laid on top of me. His weight was pressing down on me, but it was lovely. When he removed my underwear with his teeth I couldn't help but giggle. And this made him smile, which knocked the breath out of me. It was such a rarity to see him smile fully.

He moved with such grace that it felt as if we were floating on a cloud, and for someone who didn't have much sexual experience, he was the best. His movements were always pleasurable. And when I moaned his name, he kissed me sweetly letting me know that this wasn't just a dream. I loved every second.

I pulled his hand to my throat. "Squeeze." I told him. He looked at me, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "Choke me Dimitri." I requested. He listened to me. He choked me while we dove into our wild erotic splendor.

We were soaring over the top when Lissa and Christian came walking in. I could only hear their presence because I was underneath Dimitri. "Oh my gosh Rose, um, Dimitri, I am so terribly sorry." She stumbled, while I swore I could hear Christian snickering. "Give us a minute please." Dimitri implied. Lissa and Christian hastily walked out the door. I could hear their footsteps pacing outside the door.

"We have to stop already." I griped. Dimitri nodded, placing kisses down my side. "Come on love we should probably get dressed." He said. I nodded and began to get dressed. Dimitri was already dressed and was closely watching me with a intrigued expression. I pretended not to notice and put on my clothes. When I was dressed I opened the door and allowed them to come in.

"I really shouldn't have just walked in like that. I am so sorry to the both of you I really didn't mean it." She mercilessly apologized. "Lissa, Lissa, please. It is fine. It was an accident." I acknowledged. She smiled angelically, while Christian tried to cover up his laughs with fake coughing.

"We are allowed to leave campus now with the protection of a guardian. And I was wondering if you'd like to come." Lissa inquired. I lit up inside. Finally a chance to get out of here. "Well of course! I mean can we go out of state?" I asked. She nodded and slightly jumped up and down. I grinned. Freedom at last, I thought.

Dimitri escorted Lissa and Christian back to their rooms and I hurriedly packed my things. I had to get away from this Court or I was going to go insane. I was going to Lissa's room when I heart shouting coming from behind one of the maintenance buildings. I stopped and listened. I didn't hear anything so I started walking until I heard struggling. I ran to the back of the building and was devastated at what I found.

Adrian was lying against one of the dumpsters, wheezing and coughing on blood. "What happened!" I yelled, bending down. He looked at me and curled away. "No Rose, you can't be here. You can't help me." He said. He didn't sound like he had yesterday. What was going on? I dragged him to his feet and helped him back to my room, despite his defiance.

When we were back in the room I set him in the chair. Seeing him in the light made my heart stop. His pretty face was covered in bruises and blood was dripping from his mouth. His clothes were torn badly and his hands were cut badly. "Adrian what is going on, and don't lie to me." I demanded. He averted looking at me directly. "I can't tell you Rose, it will ruin what I've already prevented." He said. I got down on my knees.

"Please Adrian, I am begging you." I pleaded. He couldn't refuse me. "I had to hurt you. I had to be sure that you hated my guts and go to Belikov. I couldn't let Reece hurt you guys." He suddenly burst. I was dumbfounded. "R, Reece did this to you?" I managed to ask. "Yeah, him and his mob." He growled. "Oh Adrian, I can't believe this!" I was outraged. "He was going to kill Dimitri, and I couldn't let him die and see you in pieces.

I would rather have you hate me, then have your heart ripped out. He said the only way to get me to break away from you is for him to kill Dimitri. So, I had to hurt you. And I hated to Rose, I fucking hate myself. Words weren't enough to stop you, I hurt you and I am a fucking disgrace." He said bitterly.

Tears abruptly dripped down my face. "But, why were you drunk then?" I asked. "Because Rose, I could have never been sober. I needed the haziness, otherwise I would have never in my insane mind hit you. Hell I probably couldn't have even gone through with what I had come for. So, if you can understand any of this, I hope you know that I still love you, and no matter what I do, I can't see you in pain in the long run. And I know that Dimitri is definitely your weakness. To see him killed would be, well it would be absolutely unforgivable." He said with agony.

I ran over and hugged his legs. "I do understand, and I'm going to help you out of this Adrian I promise. I kissed him and tasted the salty blood from his mouth. It didn't matter because I was torn seeing him like this. He stopped me.

"I have to leave, now. If anyone finds out I told you, we're all dead." He warned. I grabbed his hand. "I forgive you." I said to him before hugging him. He pulled my head back and kissed me once more. "You have to stay with Belikov. He is the one for you. And I can see that now. You will never be truly happy without him. I'm so sorry Rose." He said, making me cry. He rushed out the door.

I stood in the doorway. I could not believe what I'd just heard. I wasn't going to tell anyone. This had to be a secret between Adrian and I. I would help him, and I would put Reece in his place. He deserved to be locked up for the rest of his life, and I was going to make sure that happened.


	9. Vacation

I was stuffing my things in my suitcase when Lissa and Christian walked in. "Where's Dimitri?" I asked, puzzled. Lissa looked around. "He is packing. But, we need to hurry." She said. I threw the last of my things in. I zipped up the suitcase and pulled it to the floor. "Okay, let's go." I said, walking towards the door. I looked back into my room and stared at the chair where Adrian was just sitting. Shaking from my moment, I flipped off the switch and shut the door.

Tagging along behind Lissa and Christian, I glanced around. People were laughing and having the times of their lives. I was happy to be rid of them. I know that sounded harsh, but these people were a constant overflow of hate and misjudgment and that is why I needed to take a break from it all.

And so when we reached the charter plane we let the men take our bags and boarded the plane. I sat in the seat closest to the window, behind Lissa and Christian. I was nervously tapping my foot up and down waiting for Dimitri. He still wasn't here and the pilot was getting ready to start the engine for takeoff. I was beginning to worry. I got up and looked out the door of the plane. I could see Dimitri sprinting towards me with his bags in his hands. "Hurry!" I shouted. And he jumped on the plane just in time.

The door shut and we both took our seat. Lissa turned her head and smiled at me. We were all more than happy to be leaving, but I kept thinking about Adrian. Poor Adrian. He was stuck in the ravenous grip of his uncle's threats. Dimitri tapped me on the shoulder.

"You alright?" He asked worriedly. I shook my head. "I mean yeah I'm fine. I just, I'm just happy to be away from there." I told him. He leaned over to me. "Nothing is ever perfect Roza." He whispered to me, curling his fingers around my hand. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know Dimitri, but you're the closest thing." I said to him. He bent over and kissed me. "I'm nothing close to perfect." He retorted. I slowly lifted my head away from him. Gazing into his eyes and running my hand through his hair. He was so beautiful and precious to me. I couldn't let my eyes wonder away from his.

I didn't know where we were going so I decided to close my eyes. It would be night for us and I needed the rest. I dreamed of running. I was in a dark alley. I wasn't sure exactly where I was, but all I could see was smoke on the opposite end.

I cautiously walked forward, my guardian instincts on the wire. I was on high alert. I heard groaning as I walked closer towards the smoke. My hand went to my stake automatically, but when I reached for it, it wasn't there. I patted the spot frantically where it should have been.

"Looking for this?" A deep and vicious voice asked. I searched for the source of the voice. I couldn't see anything but darkness. I ran towards the smoke now, ready for a fight. But when I cleared it all I found was a body lying on the ground with a bag over its head. I hesitantly crouched next to the body and removed the bag.

I fell to the ground and immediately crawled backwards when I saw Adrian's cold, dead face. Crying out in distress and anguish was all I could do as I looked directly into Adrian's face. His jade green eyes had gone gray and his lovely face was smeared with blood. I lost all hope. And when I looked over to the left I saw his killer smugly smiling in the corner. Reece Ivashkov, the monster.

I think I was screaming because Dimitri shook me violently, trying to wake me up. My eyes flew open and tears ran down my face. "Rose! Rose what's the matter!" Lissa exclaimed, jumping from her seat. Christian looked behind his seat, concern etched across his face. I wiped the tears from my face and gained my composure. "Nightmare." I simply said to them. They all looked frightened, everyone accept Dimitri who looked very unsettled. He leaned back and sighed heavily.

Lissa had sat back down and Christian was whispering in her ear, probably trying to calm her down. "She's fine." I heard him say. I lifted up the shade on the window. It was bright outside and there were puffy clouds all around us.

I was so afraid that when we did return to Court, that my nightmare would become reality and Reece will have really killed Adrian. It was something I couldn't even process. It hurt me to even think like that. But the cold hard fact was that Reece could kill Adrian if he wanted to.

Adrian had saved Dimitri for me and now he had to work for Reece so he wouldn't kill me. It was all so confusing. I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my chin. Thinking about tragedy always brought back memories of when I was being held hostage by Dimitri. The sweet satisfaction I had of just being able to see him everyday, even though his intentions had been wrong.

I had been too stupid and selfish to care. I had been vulnerable and allowed him to get in my head. I had been naïve enough to let him talk me into letting him bite me, feed off of me in my pathetic attempt to salvage a part of what we'd had. It made me fall deeper and deeper into a hole of regret and torment.

When I opened my eyes and looked over at Dimitri I could no longer picture the evil Strigoi he had been. All I could see now was Dimitri the guardian and dhampir. The man I had risked my life for. The man I could never possibly live without. And the man that I hoped would always be there for me. The man I loved.

We landed about four hours later. We were in California where apparently Lissa had requested, which was not so far away from Court, but still better than nothing. Lissa and I exited the plane first. We were all taken in a black SUV to a hotel on the beach. I looked at my surrounding in wonder. California was so nice.

The warm sun didn't affect me, but Lissa and Christian were wearing sunglasses to protect their eyes. The beach was pretty and the sand was so soft as we walked up to the entrance of the hotel. We didn't even have to check in. The guardians did all of that for us. They gave us our room keys and motioned us onto the elevator. We were on floor seventeen. We got off the elevator and went down the hall.

Lissa and I were in conjoining rooms while Christian and Dimitri were on the opposite end in two separate rooms. I watched as they both wandered down the hall and I walked into my room. It was elegant. There was a very care free feel to it. The bathroom had an open shower. It had no doors, only a shower head and handles for the water.

The bedroom was red. The bed was a cream color and there was an abundance of pillows. I set my suitcase near the dresser where the plasma TV was mounted on the wall. It was huge. At least sixty inches. I turned it on and when nothing interested me I cut it off.

Lissa walked in with the biggest smile on her face. "Isn't it wonderful?" She beamed. I laughed. "It is marvelous Liss! You picked a great place!" I told her. She put a hand on her mouth, still smiling. "You know Dimitri was the one who recommended California. He said it had always been a dream of his to bring the person he loved here, so I figured I'd let him have his dream." She said, making my heart warm. "Oh Lissa thank you so much!" I shouted, giving her a big hug.

We both giggled and jumped up on the bed. She looked me over mischievously. She was up to something. "Come to my room." She said, pulling me off the bed. I followed her into her room and stood by the bed. She opened her suitcase and pulled out a long, white box. "Open this." She told me.

I took the box from her and lifted the top. Inside was a beautiful evening dress. It was blue, which matched the nazar necklace my mother had given me. It was short and tight when I slipped into it. The neckline was low, but thankfully not too low.

My legs appeared lean and muscular and it made my curves apparent. I liked it so much. "Thanks Lissa. You shouldn't have." I expressed. She was happy and she patted me on the back. "I knew you'd look lovely." She told me. I laughed and when Lissa was done gleaming over the dress we walked out the door and met up with the guys.

Dimitri took my hand and spun me in a circle. "Ravishing." He chuckled, making my heart skip. He kissed me on the cheek and we all got into the elevator. When we were outside we decided to go to a nice restaurant down the road. We sat down and ordered our drinks. Dimitri sat close to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.

When our food came, I really wasn't that hungry. I pushed my food around and took a few bites of the steak. I set my fork down and sat back as everyone else ate their food. "Not hungry Rose?" Christian asked me. "No actually I'm not." I responded. "What is the world coming to when the one who always eats isn't hungry?." He joked. I half smiled. I was beginning to think of Adrian again, which had curbed my appetite.

When we were done, I paid for everything and we all left the restaurant. Dimitri held my hand as we wandered down the street. The sun was starting to set and I was exhausted. "I think I'm going to head to my room." I said aloud. Christian looked surprised and Lissa almost mirrored his expression. "Are you tired?" She asked. I rubbed my eyes. "Yeah I am." I told her. She hugged me and walked off with Christian while Dimitri led me back to my room.

When we were in front of my room I let go of his hand. "Should I stay?" He hinted. I turned slightly to open the door. Of course I wanted him to stay, but I couldn't sleep with him around. He'd be irresistible. "I'm going to sleep. You should get rest too." I said to him, walking into the room.

"I understand. You need to be alone. I won't disrupt you, I'll just go watch over Lissa and Christian." He informed. He was walking out the door when I grabbed his hand and pulled him to me. "Don't go." I breathed. He picked me up, shutting the door, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He laid me on the bed. "Maybe we won't be interrupted this time." He teased. And then all of our clothes came off.


	10. Unexpected

Waking up, naked, next to Dimitri was becoming a regular thing for me. We had both had a very erotic night and the satisfaction of waking up next to him was marvelous. My arm was draped over his chest and he was mindlessly playing with a small bunch of my hair. I couldn't see his face, but I'd guess it had a hidden expression of delight underneath his empty gaze at the ceiling.

I was grinning ear to ear when I felt his leg rub over mine. "Did you have fun last night?" He suddenly asked. I almost laughed. "No Dimitri fun was not what I would use to describe a highly pleasurable experience. I would have to classify last night as paradise, maybe even heaven." I played. I repositioned myself so that I was looking at his face.

"Well then, I did better than I thought." He said. I arched one eyebrow in a confused manner. "What do you mean you did better than you thought?" I asked, puzzled. "Well I guess considering you were practically screaming my name, I did do a rather good job." He teased and I blushed. "Screaming, really?" I was a little embarrassed. He smiled. "It's not a bad thing, because I like hearing you scream my name." He said, making me blush even more and let out a giggle.

He got up and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. I laid on the bed looking out the window where the beach was already populated by tourists and easy goers. I didn't see Dimitri sneak up on me and scoop me off the bed. So much for guardian instincts. He kissed my forehead and set me down in the open shower. "I do love these open showers. It gives me a reason to really examine your beauty." He said romantically.

I was attached to Dimitri in the shower as he rubbed the sweet lavender soap over my body. The water was warm and his touch made me fluster. I couldn't help but let out a silent whimper. "I think we'd better get dressed." I finally said rinsing off the soap and ringing out my hair. "Of course." He said. I accidentally slipped and landed on the floor of the shower.

When Dimitri slid over to help me I was too distracted by him to even move. He was huge...and I do mean huge if you know what I mean. I almost couldn't muster up the strength to stand up. I had noticed this before, since we had had sex and all, but actually staring at it just made me freeze. I recovered once I wasn't eye level anymore. He had helped me up and hugged me to him. "Are you hurt?" He asked instinctively. "No." I shook my head.

He turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist and draped one over my shoulders. I let it hang there before I put it around myself. Dimitri put his clothes from last night back on and I rummaged through my suitcase for something to wear.

"You'd think it'd be easy to find something decent in all this mess." I complained, pulling out clothes. "Let me help." He said, taking a shirt from my hand. He eased me out of the way and in two simple movements had an outfit. "This would look nice, don't you think?" He asked, holding the shirt up to me.

I took the shirt and pulled it on. It was a black halter with red embroidery on the bottom. The shorts were tan and when I put them on, a little tight, but as I walked around they stretched, slightly. Dimitri examined me and had a smile on his face. "Perfect." He said, kissing my cheek. I reached for his hand, but didn't catch it in time.

"I need to go change my clothes, you can come with me if you'd like." He told me. I nodded and slipped on my shoes. I was just about to close the door when Lissa tapped me on the shoulder. "We need to talk, now." She said urgently. Dimitri looked at me curiously. "Um, Dimitri, I'll catch up with you in a minute, I need to talk to Lissa." I told him. He smiled and walked off down the hall. I went into Lissa's room and shut the door. "What is it?" I asked. She looked angry. "Is everything all right with Christian?" I had to make sure she wasn't upset over him again. Her face relaxed a bit.

"Oh we are fine, I had an excellent night with him, well you really don't want to hear about it." She jumbled. I laid my hand over hers. "Well then what's the matter Liss?" I asked. "It's my parents." She said unexpectedly. "P, parents?" I tripped over the word. Lissa hadn't spoke of her parents in the longest time. Concerned, I looked at her lovingly. "What's the matter? Please tell me." I said.I was not prepared for what came next.

"I have a sister named Isabelle." She blurted. My eyes widened and I couldn't speak. "I was walking along the beach last night, and a girl was running. I didn't mean to, but I accidentally ran into her. We both fell and I helped her up, but when she looked me in the eyes I couldn't believe what I saw. She had the same eyes, the same face, the same expression. It scared me. And when she introduced herself I couldn't help but ask who her mother and father were.

She looked amused when I asked, but when she answered she said her mom's name was Jane Doephine and her father was," She stopped and took a deep breath, but I finished for her. "Eric Dragomir." Lissa quickly looked at me. "How'd you know?" She asked. I hung my head. "I don't know Lissa." I lied. "Well, it appears that I have a half sister and my dad was a liar." She said bitterly. It made me sad to see her angry. She was such a gentle person.

"Well, what else did this Isabelle say?" I asked. Lissa looked up. She said that she lived in California and her mom worked in Vegas. She conveniently never knew my father, so she never knew much about him life except his name. And it would figure, because he didn't want any of us to find out about his filthy lies." She was gritting her teeth and fighting back tears. "I just thought you should know." She choked.

I rubbed her back. "I know it's hard, but it's not like you can really do anything about it now." She looked at me pitifully. "She is suppose to meet me here tonight at five." She said. Then I quickly remembered. Tatiana's note! This was the person Lissa needed to gain her spot in the council! Lissa nudged me. "What are you smiling about?" She asked, wiping her eyes. "I think I just found your right to the council."


	11. Close Encounter

Everything was beginning to fall into place now. Lissa ironically found her half sister, Dimitri and I had been able to rekindle our love, and Lissa and Christian were at their peak. Life was better. The only terrible thought that kept popping into my head was poor Adrian, suffering, and heart broken. After we get back, my mission will be devoted to saving him. But until then, I need to focus on this Isabelle.

When we met her on the beach at five, I didn't expect her to look so much like Lissa. I guess she got her looks from her dad, because they looked like twins almost from head to toe. The only difference was their hair and the color of their eyes. Isabelle's hair was a dark brown with red highlights and Lissa's hair was of course, a golden blond. And Isabelle's eyes were hazel not blue like Lissa's. But otherwise, they were identical.

I was baffled at first, but when Isabelle started talking, I couldn't help but warm up to her. She was so much like Lissa. She was happy, nice, and beautiful. "Hi Rose I'm Isabelle, but please call me Belle for short." She smiled elegantly. "Since you already know my name, I guess there is no need for me to repeat it to you." I laughed. "But, Belle, if I may, you remind me so much of Lissa I just can't believe it! I mean the resemblance is extremely obvious." I chimed.

She was grinning now ear to ear. "Well, I have heard so much about you Rose, there are stories everywhere of you. You are most definitely one hot subject!" She pretty much squealed, as if she was meeting a celebrity. I was amused that apparently people were talking about me. It made me wonder how news travels so far.

"So, Rose," Belle said, catching my attention. "How do you think I am Lissa's link to her spot on the council?" She asked, interested in what I had to say. I stopped a moment and tried to sound efficient. "Okay, in case you didn't know, I was on trial last week for killing the queen. Well, obviously I didn't kill her, so I was found innocent and released. So, at the end of my very first court meeting, I got a letter from one of my friends that was written by the queen herself to me. It basically said that Lissa had a brother or sister and I had to find him or her to make sure Lissa was counted in the council, or take her place on the thrown. Well, this was suppose to be a secret, but since Lissa found you I guess I just had to tell you all." I told them.

I had just now noticed that Dimitri and Christian were now sitting beside us on the sand. Taking a deep breath, I started again. "And now that Belle is here, Lissa has another family member to be with her in court. There must be two or more members of the family present in order for the family to have a rightful spot. But, since your last name is Doephine, you may have to change it to Dragomir." I informed her.

Belle had a very intrigued look on her face. "So I am the last hope for the Dragomir's?" She asked, a little shaken by the pressure. Everyone was looking at her. "I know we just met, but it would mean a whole lot to me if you could help me on court to take my family's rightful position." Lissa said confidently. Belle could not resist. She drew in a breath and stood up. "I will help you all, but I can't promise anything. I have no idea how politics work, so I don't even know if I'll be good enough at it." Belle said to us.

I looked over to Dimitri and saw a slightly worried look in his eyes. Christian looked bored to death, but he still smiled whenever someone looked his way. They really didn't have anything to do with this, but they were still here, supporting us.

"It's okay if you don't know much about politics." I could hear Lissa telling Belle. I was walking behind everyone. I wanted some distance. Lissa needed time to speak with Belle. I was walking slower and slower until all I could see was Lissa's blond hair flying around in the breeze. Dimitri startled me when he grabbed my hand. "Why are you walking alone?" He asked.

His hand was so warm and it still sent shivers through my body whenever we touched. "I just thought I'd give Lissa and Belle some space. I mean it is a lot to take in. Finding out you have a sister and all." I almost whispered. I could feel Dimitri's eyes studying me intently as I walked, looking ahead .

"Oh Roza, if you are worried Lissa will forget you, don't. You know Lissa has a place in her heart that will always be for you." He reasoned, but I wasn't really listening anymore because a huge wave of nausea rolled over me. "Get them inside now." I growled, clenching my stomach. He immediately ran for the others, needing no explanation of my sudden orders.

I was desperately looking around, trying to find any signs of Strigoi. I finally caught the glimpse of one as it slammed into me with incredible force, knocking me to the ground. It was a man. He was tall, a little muscular, and very, very angry. At first I was in too much of a hurry to see, but when the light from the hotel shined on his face I was shocked. Reece!

It scared me to see someone who had been someone you knew turned into a Strigoi. His eyes were now a bright red and his fangs stood out now. Sharp, white, glistening weapons in his mouth. "Ah Rose, nice to see you." He purred, towering over me. I glared at him with hatred. "Why are you here?" I demanded to know. He laughed, but it was a sound that was unnatural.

"Well Rose you see, after I saw what you guys did to Mr. Belikov, I had a brilliant plan. Of course it never would have worked if Tatiana were still alive, but as you already know I killed her, and framing you was all too easy. Although, I never expected your trial to go over so well. Those two friends of yours are very powerful. They used compulsion to sway the votes. And so, I then used Adrian to get to you. I promised I wouldn't kill Mr. Belikov if he worked for me, and it was successful. With the queen dead and Adrian working for me, I can now go through with my plan. I'm going to kill you first, then Mr. Belikov, Ms. Dragomir, and finally Mr. Ozera. You see, I am tired of being last in the Ivashkov family. I am regarded as the bottom feeder. Tatiana was at top then Daniella and her family and then me, very last. I am going to get Adrian to turn me back into a Moroi with his spirit, just like Lissa did for Mr. Belikov, only I will be the only living testament. I will be the new marvel. And no one will be able to take this away from me because the most obvious threats will be dead. And to top all that, I'm going to frame you again. I'm going to make it look like you killed everyone and then killed yourself. It is going to be amazing." He callously told me.

I was horrified by this point. All of this, just so he could have his fame. It disgusted me to point I have never known. I had unconsciously crawled back away from him. I sprang to my feet quickly, but not quick enough, because he grabbed me by the throat. I was trying to pry his fingers away, but his grip was too tight.

"Where do you think you're going? This will be the last place you'll be going." He cackled. I was beginning to fade out. I could no longer see past Reece's head and black spots were slowly dominating my vision. My air was running out. I was almost gone when Dimitri plunged his stake right into Reece's heart. His grip on my throat dropped immediately and he slumped to the ground. I fell over and that is the last I can remember.


	12. Sickness

"Rose! Rose!" I could hear my name being called by a sweet familiar voice. I knew I was dreaming when Adrian rushed over to me. "I thought I would never get you in time!" He yelled. I had a feeling his news was probably not good. "I have to warn you about Reece! He is a fucking liar! He said he was going to kill you! And I just-," I held my hand up to stop him.

"Too late, he already came. He choked me. I'm probably dead." I said sarcastically. "And if this is heaven then I'm disappointed. I mean, aside from you, there is nothing worth dying for." I said, laughing silently to myself. Adrian looked at me sympathetically, which is extremely rare. "Oh Rose, I can't believe this! Hell, I can't even believe what Reece did. He turned himself Strigoi just so he could get his pathetic attempt at fame! It sickens me." Adrian snarled. I nodded.

"Trust me, I know. But Lissa has a sister, well half-sister. Isabelle and she looks almost identical. We met her in California. Lissa was angry at first, but came around once she talked to Belle." I filled him in. He had a look of disbelief on his face. "Well, shocker! Explains what that bartender in Vegas was talking about." He said. I looked at his face. It was now smooth and beautiful just like I loved. He caught me staring and smiled crookedly.

"You know it's rude to stare." He teased, pulling me to him. I was still hurting for him. I wanted him, but I had chosen Dimitri now, due to recent events. He bent down close and tried to kiss me. "Wait." I whispered. "I can't do this, even if it is a dream, Adrian. I'm sorry, but I just can't keep living this way. In the end I can't keep going back and forth between you and Dimitri. It isn't fair to either of you and it kills me. I love you, never forget that, but my love for Dimitri is overpowering. And when everything is final, one person is going to lose." I spoke softly.

Adrian's face turned away from me and he let me go. I could feel my heart pounding painfully in my chest. Grief was a bitch. "I have to go." He spat. I stepped back, his words and tone stinging me. But when he walked past me I could see the gleam of the tears in his eyes. I had cut him too deep this time and he'd had all he could take.

I gained consciousness, hearing another lovely familiar voice. "Roza please! Please wake up!" Dimitri's voice sounded scared. I slowly opened my eyes and his face crippled my heart. He was staring at me with a look of pure agony on his face, like I would never wake up. I hated to see him worked up like that, but I knew the feeling to think the one you love is gone forever, and I had waited far longer than he had.

I could feel the finely grain, cool sand beneath my aching body. We were still by the beach. When Dimitri saw me open my eyes he held me tighter to his body. "I thought you were dead." He sighed. I wrapped my arm around his waist. He kissed me roughly, but it was okay. It was fine until I felt nauseous again.

Instantly thinking it was Strigoi nearby I tensed and Dimitri leapt up with me still in his arms. I was ready for Strigoi until I jumped from his arms and puked all over the sand. Damn, I was sick. "Roza! Roza, what's wrong!" Dimitri asked, frantically. Rushing over to me. I waved my hand at him, trying to get him to go away. I couldn't have him see me like this.

I threw up three times before Dimitri scooped me up and jogged back to the hotel. Thankfully I didn't throw up on him. When we got into my room I ran to the bathroom and stayed in there for a good two hours before feeling better. I didn't throw up anymore. I pitifully limped to the bed and curled up against Dimitri under the sheets and comforter.

"Do you need a doctor?" He inquired. "No, no, I'm fine. I think it was just post traumatic stuff I guess, but I'm fine now. No worries." I shrugged off nonchalantly. He kept a worried expression all night and still had one in the morning when he woke up and found me in the bathroom once again.

"I...don't...know...what's...going...on..." I gasped in between gagging. He couldn't move. His face was now blank and he was like a ghost. "Dimitri?" I said. "Dimitri, what?" I asked. But he said nothing. "Dimitri what's-," I threw up again and he lost it. "I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! I SHOULD'VE BEEN MORE CAREFUL WITH YOU!" He burst into hysteria, making me cringe in fear. But then his tone was level and he ran his hand over his face. "Rose, you have to answer me. When is the last time you had, well, since you had your menstrual cycle."

I looked at him dumbly. Seriously? He was trying to be my doctor now! What the hell? I answered him anyways. "Months Dimitri, I'm long overdue." I said calmly before throwing up again. His eyes widened and he slumped down to the floor. He hand a hand in his hair and one supporting him. "Rose, we need to go to the store NOW!" He commanded. I looked at him like he was crazy. "Um, hello, I'm PUKING MY GUTS OUT DIMITRI!" I hollered. He quickly stood up. "I'll be back in ten minutes." He told me, walking out the door.

I stayed by the toilet, still sick, when Dimitri burst through the bathroom door with a pharmacy bag. He pulled a pregnancy test from the plastic bag and I almost fainted. "Fuck that." I plainly said. "You need to do this, immediately." He ordered, shoving the little plastic stick to me. He stood by me. I snatched it from his hand and crawled from the floor, pulling my pants down and pissing on the stick.

"Happy?" I snapped, shoving the stick right back at him. He took it carefully and stared at the results. He looked for a minute and then walked out of the bathroom. I could hear him sit down in the chair. I feebly walked into the room clutching my stomach. "So? What did it say?" I asked confidently.

"Positive." He whispered shaking his head. And that's when I collapsed. I was on the floor less than a second before Dimitri was pulling me into his arms and setting me on the bed. "Listen Rose, we have no choice now because what's done is done, but we need to focus on your health and safety. We need to get back home instantly and get you to a doctor." He assured me, but at this point I was dead. A CHILD, A BABY, MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD! I CANNOT HANDLE THIS BULLSHIT! I AM A TRAINED GUARDIAN! NOT SOME BLOOD WHORE OR STAY AT HOME "MOM"! THIS IS PUNISHMENT FOR NOT GOING TO CHURCH! OR SOME SICK JOKE! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! I was internally panicking.

Just my luck, Dimitri had gathered Lissa and Christian. They all came in with apprehensive expressions plastered across their faces. "Rose, Rose what's wrong? Are you sick?" Lissa panicked, running to my side. I tilted my head back and sucked in a big breath of air, before answering. "Why yes Lissa. I am sick. I am very, very sick." I started, making her face grow paler and paler. "I AM FUCKING PREGANANT!" I shouted, scaring her. When she registered my rage, her face lost all emotion. Her stare had been as blank as Dimitri's. And when I glanced over at Christian his mouth was hanging open. Dimitri stood with one arm crossed over his chest and the other covering his face.

"How in the world do you know?" She asked. I shook my head. "Pregnancy test, but I can't handle this at all right now. We need to leave, so I can go to the doctor and check this situation out, NOW!" I informed them. Lissa looked at me and then looked at Dimitri. "But Belle, I have to tell her goodbye." She said innocently. "I will pack your stuff and you go tell Belle goodbye, but make it quick. This is urgent." He asserted. She nodded and scurried out of the door with Christian.

When Lissa returned and we all boarded the plane again, I had to stay in the mini bathroom THE WHOLE FLIGHT! It was miserable. We finally made it back at Court and Dimitri rushed me to the hospital wing. They took me in instantly and checked me out. "Well, Rosemary, I do believe you have a baby on your hands. Twins actually." The nurse confirmed. And I blacked out as soon as I heard twins. I was screwed.


	13. True Love

I woke up in my bed back at Court. I sat up, but I didn't see anyone. The moon shone dimly in the room. It was past time to get up. I rolled onto my feet. Standing up straight I felt slight pain low in my stomach, something I had to get used to. I pattered into the bathroom yawning. I got out of my clothes and stepped into the shower.

I got out and wrapped a towel around my waist. I leaned over the sink as I brushed my teeth. Adrian scared me when he appeared behind me. I quickly pulled my towel up and situated it around my body. "You don't really need to worry about privacy, it's just me." He stated, faintly smiling. I looked at him with adoring eyes. After our talk the other day, I had doubted he even wanted to see me. "What are you doing here?" I asked, pushing the hair from my face. He looked down at the floor.

"I heard you were, um, pregnant." He said sadly. I tried to look at his face, but his expression cut me. "Yeah I am. I don't really want to talk about it, I mean, it's just I didn't want this to happen, it just kind of, well I don't know what," I couldn't even finish two sentences. He took my hand. "Rose, I understand. I'm sorry about leaving the other day, but I had to gain control of myself. I was letting my emotions run wild, and well, that just isn't me, you know that." He reassured me.

My hand went to his hair and I leaned his head towards mine. I wanted to kiss him, but at the same time, I didn't want to. I let out a sigh and dropped my hand, turning and walking out of the bathroom. It took Adrian a minute to come out. "It shouldn't be this way. Always tempted and always confused. Commitment is not working apparently. We should take more serious action." He said. I was a little confused by what he was saying.

"Come away with me Rose. I could father your children. We could be a family. I could provide for us all. You wouldn't have to worry about anything, I promise." He suggested. I sat down on the bed. "You know I can't do that Adrian, so why even try. I have Lissa and Dimitri, and even two unborn children now. I can't pack up and leave everything behind. I still want to be a guardian!" I cried out. His face slowly turned cold. "I see, it's always about him. Well, whatever. I'm sorry I even tried." He muttered, rapidly walking out the door.

I sat on the bed staring off into space, thinking to myself. Is everything really ever about Dimitri or is that just Adrian's emotions taking over? I mean Dimitri is the father of my unborn twins so, it will always be him now. I sat there on the bed thinking to myself.

The phone rang on the table and I picked it up. "Hello?" I answered. "Rose, it's Lissa. Dimitri invited Christian and I to dinner with you two tonight. It's almost twelve so, I was wondering if I could come over before we go?" She asked. I smiled to myself. "Of course Liss, I mean, dinner tonight was a surprise to me, but sure you are always welcome here." I assured her. And with a swift goodbye, she hung up the phone.

About an hour later she was at the door. I let her in and she had yet another present in her hands. "Lissa, this isn't another present is it?" I groaned. She grinned widely. "Come on Rose, it is a time to celebrate! You are going to love it!" She chimed. I laughed and opened the box, and just as I'd figured. There was an amazing dress inside.

"Oh Lissa, it is beautiful, as always." I hugged her. The dress was thigh length and strapless. It was white with black lace roses scattered in various places across the dress with a thin black ribbon just under the chest. I loved it. I admired it before setting it back in the box and giving Lissa another hug. She smiled at me before sitting on the bed.

"I knew you'd love it. I bought it in California when Christian and I were shopping." I laughed at the thought of Christian shopping. "Well, Liss, it was a perfect pick, because I can't wait to wear it tonight. This might be the only time I'll get to wear it." I thanked her. She was extremely happy today. "We are suppose to meet at the Chateau De Candie at two. It's almost one now. But I thought I'd come over and bring the dress to you. I hope you like it." She said. I nodded. "Of course I love it!" I exclaimed.

Lissa was ready in minutes. Her teal dress was ravishing. It made her look sleek. She always looked like a super model. Her hair was perfectly flowing behind her. Me, on the other hand, took almost thirty minutes to get ready. I had Lissa help me zip up the dress. Luckily she had brought a pair of black heels that I slipped on. Then, she curled my hair until perfect ringlets laid against my bare shoulders.

"We'd better get going." She advised, pointing to the clock on the side table. It was one fifty. Lissa gave me one look and smiled so big I thought her mouth would split. "You are beautiful Rose." She told me. I blushed. "Thanks Liss."

Christian was waiting outside the main doors and led us to the restaurant. When we arrived, the host escorted us to the table that Dimitri was sitting at, right next to the band stage. There was a man lightly playing the piano. Dimitri stood up and kissed me, while Lissa and Christian took their seats. They all looked a little excited for some reason, or maybe I was just looking too hard.

The waitress came by and took all our drink orders. "So Rose, how is it going to feel when you're a mom yourself?" Christian teased sipping his drink. I shot him a mock aggressive look. "Well, I think I'll train them to kick your ass, just like me." I told him, making everyone laugh a little. The waitress came back and took our orders. I decided to try the quiche du fromage. I sat patiently and waited as my stomach growled and we all made small chatter.

When the food came, I decided to eat slowly, considering that this was a dainty dinner. Dimitri glanced at me every now and then, but our conversation was light as we all ate. It wasn't until we were finished that I noticed a familiar song being played on the piano. It was "Your Guardian Angel" and the piano version was beautiful. Dimitri noticed and he held his hand out. I grabbed it and he pulled me close to him, waltzing me across the floor.

When the song was over I saw Dimitri look at the man playing piano and he started playing it again. Dimitri slowly led me back to the table. "I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back." He excused himself. I sat down and listened to my favorite song. I noticed that Lissa was leaning her head against Christian, smiling. They suddenly stood up. I looked at them, confused. And turned around to see Dimitri behind me.

"What's all this?" I asked. He smiled and guided me out of my chair. "Roza, I love you. I have always loved you. And being reminded of our love has been more than a blessing. I could have never imagined being so lucky. I knew you were my true love when I first met you. And now that you, we, are expecting twins, I cannot wait any longer." He said. But when he got down on one knee, my hand flew to my mouth. This is not happening! He took my left hand. "Rosemary Hathaway, will you please be my wife? Marry me and start our family together." But as he waited all I could do is stare.

This was it, the part I would have never suspected, Dimitri proposing. It was never an option before. Hell, I'd spent the past 6 months just trying to save him, and then another month getting him to realize he still loved me. Nothing was ever easy. But here I am, pregnant with twins, in a five star restaurant, with my best friend and the love of my life, about to decide my future.

"Rose?" Dimitri cleared his throat. I blinked rapidly, straying from the chaos in my head. "Oh Dimitri, I, I don't know what to say. Well, I mean I know it is yes or no, but, oh fuck it, YES! I will marry you. I can't imagine saying no. Yes!" I cried.

He took my hand and slipped on a stunning ring. It was silver with a diamond rose and rubies around it. I could hear Lissa gasp behind me, and I didn't think anything of it until I heard glass breaking. I turned around only to find Adrian storming out of the building. I looked Dimitri in the eyes, slipped my hand away, and then ran off towards Adrian.

"Adrian wait!" I yelled. I ran faster and actually caught up with him. I crossed in front of him and held my hand to his chest. "Please Rose, let me go, I don't want this anymore. You obviously don't want this anymore. I am done trying to be in your life. I just can't handle it. I mean look at me, I'm a mess." He barked. I looked at him, noticing now that he was rugged. I mean he hadn't shaved and his clothes were extremely wrinkled. He looked like a disaster.

"Please Adrian, don't do this. I want you to know something. It's like you said, I'll never be truly happy without him. And believe me marriage was not my idea, I didn't even know he was going to propose. So, if you're going to be mad, don't blame him, blame me. I'm the one who said yes to him, and I'm the one who wants him to father our children." I explained calmly.

"That's just it Rose, don't you get it?" He stressed. I looked at him exasperated. "What are you talking about Adrian?" I breathed. He narrowed his eyes. "Your children! They are not his Rose! Open your eyes and actually think other than him!" He hollered. I stepped back and shook my head. "I don't know what you're even talking about. I think you're just upset. Maybe I should let you go." I said.

"No Rose, you stopped me and now I'm going to tell you. You are a dhampir, he is a dhampir, therefore you and him cannot conceive together. Get it now?" He said slowly, as if I was dumb. I understood what he was saying and the shock made my body numb. The children are Adrian's! But he was wearing protection. What the hell? This is insane.

"But Adrian, you were wearing a condom. I mean we were protected." I stuttered. He just laughed coldly. "God Rose, I mean I knew you weren't thrilled to be having kids, but damn. At least when you thought they were Belikov's you were a little happier. But I get it. Now that you realize he isn't the father you don't want them. I get it, I get it. I am not father material and you're illusion of the Belikov family is shattered because I'm really the father." He said coldly.

"Adrian please don't do this. You know that I wasn't thinking. For god's sake I just found out I was pregnant and the only person I thought about sleeping with at the time was Dimtiri. So, excuse me if in my surprised state I didn't immediately think of you." I fused. He wiped the smirk off his face and took my hand. "Oh Rose, I really do not want to upset you, it's just that when I realized that the kids weren't his I knew you would probably resent me. Just look at me. I am no father." He reasoned.

I looked at him sympathetically. "Listen Adrian, I love you and you have no idea how I feel about you. I just choose Dimitri. He came first and even though I will accept you for being these kids father, I am still going to marry him. And that is all I have to say." I confirmed. He looked at me sadly and then turned and walked away.

I was feeling absolutely terrible now. How could I have been so naive to think that Dimitri was the father. I was not thinking rationally. It has been so hectic these past few days that I never even considered Adrian as a possibility. How could I be so stupid. Because now, I have Adrian pissed and Dimitri who is going to have his heart broken. I could tell he was eager to be the father for my kids, but now, I don't know.

As I was sulking, Dimitri, Lissa, and Christian ran up behind me. "Rose! Why are you alone? What happened? Where's Adrain?" Everyone asked at once. "Guys, I want to go to my room. I'm tired." I sighed. There was an annoying silence and I walked towards my housing. "Rose wait!" Lissa and Dimitri called. I turned alowly and looked at them expectantly.

"What?" I shot at them, tired of all of this. Lissa hesitated before asking anything else. "What did he say to you?" She asked timidly. "He made me realize that, he is the father." I simply stated. Dimitri's eyes widened and his hands balled into fists. Lissa was speechless. "Oh no. I am so sorry Rose." She said, quietly. I nodded. "It's fine, I just need to go, now." I said quickly before running to my room.

I could feel the pain flooding through me as I looked at my ring. It was amazing, but that didn't stop me from hurting over Adrian. I was feeling worse by the minute and when Dimitri came in I almost had a heart attack. "Rose, don't worry about Adrian. I've known he was the father all along. I mean of course two dhampirs can't make a child. But, I want to be their father anyways. I will love them as my own. I will love you and everything you bring." He whispered to me. I could feel my cheeks burning. And when he scooped me into his arms, I knew I belonged.


	14. Tragedy

When I woke up the next morning, I would have never imagined waking up with a knife to my neck. "Get up now and I won't hurt you." The stranger growled. My eyes scanned the room quickly for Dimitri. Where was he and who was this person? I slowly got up. I was naked, but that was the least of my worries at this point.

The stranger was masked in a ninja-like fashion. All black with a mask covering everything but the eyes. "Put clothes on now." The stranger barked. It had to be a man because the voice was deep and gruff. I threw on black sweats and a tshirt. Then in one agile movement I grabbed my stake and flung myself at the intruder. I tackled him and ripped his knife away, throwing it across the room.

"Don't fuck with me." I snarled, pressing my stake to his throat. I could feel his struggle beneath me. "Stop moving." I commanded, but to no avail. Then I pressed the stake harder, piercing the skin slightly, making the man wince. "Now, tell me why you're here." I ordered. The guy wriggled under me.

"I work for a force that really wants you for ransom." He informed me. "Strigoi to be precise. In return for you, I will be granted my request to join their elite team against the Moroi and dhampirs." He said cockily. I pressed my stake in a little deeper and he squirmed in pain.

"I'm not going anywhere with you! But since you were going to die anyways let me put you out of your misery." I threatened. His eyes got wide. "You wouldn't." He challenged. Contrary to his disbelief I pressed harder, digging deeper into the puncture. He let out a small cry. "Okay, okay! I work for a Strigoi named Malique! He said something about a guy named Dimitri and you of course! He said you made him dhampir again and he wanted you dead! So in exchange for what I want I had to bring you to him since Reece failed!" He yelled.

I was enraged at this point! Strigoi wanted to kill me because I had saved Dimitri! Outrageous! But while I was off guard, thinking, the man knocked me off of him and grabbed his knife. I was on my feet instantly and ran over to him using my guardian skills against him. I took my stake and rammed it into his chest, but not before he sliced my stomach deeply, directly where the fetuses were.

The man slumped to the floor and I screamed. I couldn't move. I saw the blood streaming steadily from my body. I stumbled to the door and swung it open. I walked into the hall and fell to my knees. I crawled into the commons area where a guardian saw me and ran over. "Madame! Madame are you alright?" He exclaimed, but I didn't answer. I was already dead. I had lost what had mattered and I was sure that I wouldn't make it.

The panic and the anxiety had drained every ounce of purpose from me. I couldn't even tell if I was still breathing. I hoped I wasn't. I wanted to die. There was nothing left to live for. I didn't know where Dimitri was, my unborn children were dead, and no one was here for me. I was alone. The nurses frantically injected me with all kinds of pain medicine and anesthetics, but none of it mattered.

When I was stitched up and carted to a recovery room I found Dimitri, Adrian, Lissa, and Christian waiting. Dimitri was up against the wall, laying his head against his arm, Adrian was crouched down folding his hands together, Lissa was clinging to Christian her eyes puffy, and Christian was staring off into space, mindlessly rubbing Lissa's back. They were all so worried.

When the nurse wheeled me into my room they all shot up, everyone but Dimitri, who remained facing the wall. Lissa ran over to me, frenzied. No one spoke. And I regained some sense of love when she hugged me gently. Christian looked down at me sympathetically, which was a look that he never wore. And Adrian just laid his hand against my stomach, making me want to die again. But as everyone examined me, Dimitri slowly came over to me, crying, no bawling almost.

"Roza, I, I don't know why, I, I wasn't there, I went, I went to get, get breakfast, and, and, and then, this, this happened, I don't know, know what I was think, thinking. I should be, be ashamed. Now, now, I'm not, I'm not, worth, worth, anything." He sobbed, making me slam my eyes shut and block out everything. Dimitri was the last person I needed to see crying.

I cautiously opened my eyes, but nothing had changed. He was still crying. And now so was Lissa and Adrian. Only Lissa's face was buried in Christian's chest. Adrian was just letting the tears drip off his face. "I can't stay Rose, I'm so sorry." He apologized before kissing my cheek and leaving. Dimitri's gaze never left my exposed stitches. He was bawling again when he started talking. "I can't believe, believe that this is what, what we've come to. That bastard! I hope, hope he rots in, in the deepest, deepest, darkest part, of, of hell! I HATE YOU!" He screamed sadly.

Lissa was sniffling and all I could do was observe. "Dimitri please. Please stop crying. I can't handle it! You're pain is really killing me! I know what it feels like right now, but I can't watch you cry anymore, it's too much!" I pleaded. He looked down, still crying and pressed his lips to my mouth. I went over the edge and clung to his neck, now crying mercilessly.

"We are going to make it through this Dimitri. I know it! I couldn't do it without you though, so please hold on with me! Help me get through this!" I sobbed. He held me and didn't let go until the nurse walked in. I held my breath and let Dimitri go.

She walked to my bed and smiled. "Rosemary Hathaway?" She asked and I nodded. "Well Miss Hathaway the diagnostic says that you are pregnant." She questioned. I dropped me gaze from her face and whispered, "Was." She looked at me puzzled. "Well according to the examination following your short surgery, your twins are healthy and growing." My eyes widened in disbelief. THEY WERE ALIVE! My hand went to my mouth. "ALIVE?" Dimitri answered. The nurse nodded. "That's right. So, we will bring you a prenatal pill and your lunch soon Miss Hathaway." She informed me before walking out of the room.

My children were alive and well! It was a miracle! Dimitri ran to me and squeezed me. "Oh my god Roza, I don't know what I would've done had the bad news been confirmed. I promise I won't let this happen ever again!" He exclaimed.

Then suddenly everything went black and I blinked. It was a dream. I was in a white room with a curtain blocking me from the rest of the world, and frantic voices coming from behind it. But what terrified me the most was that my stomach was completely flat and there was a note beside my bed from the nurse that said, "I'm so sorry we couldn't save them."


	15. Over The Edge

All I could do after seeing that note was lie there on the bed and wish for death to come. But I knew that it wouldn't be so easy. I was a fighter but I think all my fight had been fought for the last time. I had begun to accept the fact that I would be a wife and mother to an extent, but now? I doubt I could ever get over the pain of the first losses to even attempt again.

I heard a rustle of the ugly plastic curtain and then Lissa peeked her head through slowly, her face red and eyes puffy. "Rose," She sniffled, "I, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry barely covers it." She sniffled some more. I shook my head at her. "Nothing needs to be said. It'll only make matters worse Liss." I breathed pathetically.

When I saw Dimitri pain-stricken, I had to turn away. It would always be too much to see him hurting. "Oh Rose, please, please look at me." He begged. The tears welled up in my eyes and after I tried desperately to hold them in, they came spilling out. When I turned Dimitri knelt down and held my head to his shoulder. He whispered something in Russian, but I didn't even know what he had said.

"Where is Adrian?" I barely managed to ask. Lissa hung her head. And Dimitri stared blankly into my eyes. Lissa finally spoke. "He, uh, he took the news really hard, which is understandable, and went down to Allen's Bar for drinks. Well, to get drunk. He said he wanted to drink and by some miracle get severe alcohol poisoning and die. I tried to hold him back, but, he just shoved past me. He was a complete and utter mess. Crying, wheezing, yelling, and really cussing. I've never seen him so distraught in my life." She explained, shedding tears as she spoke.

"I think I need time. I'm not sure how much, but definitely a few hours at least. I love you all, but I don't want to see anyone right now. Tell the nurse not to come in here." I politely told Lissa, who nodded, kissed my forehead, and left swiftly. Dimitri was still kneeling next to me. "You too Dimitri." I said softly. He narrowed his eyes. "I am not leaving you Roza, I refuse. You cannot, will not dissuade me to leave you. I am not going anywhere." He firmly asserted. I sighed and rolled over. "Fine Dimitri, don't leave me. I'm not fighting you. I've lost the will to fight." I muttered. This must've hit a major nerve because he stormed out. Alone again.

No one came into my little solitude. The curtain was my shield against the fucking world. And I did mean FUCKING WORLD! No one is safe anymore. Not even guardians, no matter how good or prepared they are. We are never fully prepared for the real deal. Life literally sucks the life out of you. And as I laid there in my depressed state, I realized that life is pointless. I mean people will always die, and we are doomed to die anyways, so why even suffer the miserable life we already live.

I guess I was in some kind of post-traumatic stress situation, because I opened the window to my small seclusion, and stood on the tiny window sill. The cool air blasted my face. Now, I must say that I was on the twelfth out of fifteen floors. If I jumped, I would die for certain, but I was attempting what you might call suicide. I leaned over, but instead of falling to my death, Adrian yanked me back in the window while I kicked and screamed, alerting Dimitri and a few nurses. The nurses scurried around, collecting meds and other stupid doctor shit while I continued to fight Adrian's grip.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK YOU WERE GOING TO DO ROSE?" Adrian hollered, turning heads. I had stopped struggling and started shaking. I let my head fall into my hands. "I just don't know Adrian, I think I want to die like everything else around me." I cried. "No Rose, you can't do that, you have too much to live for." He reasoned. My head shot up. "Really Adrian. Tell me what all I have to live for." I snapped nastily. And the words he said shocked me more than anything. They were so uncharacteristic and unselfish.

"Dimitri." Is all he said. I was awestruck by his humbleness. "A-Adrian, wait don't leave so quickly! I need to thank you. For saving my life from my own dumbass." I shouted. His face eased a little. "Yeah, you're welcome, but, now I think I'll go home." He said sadly. I fell to the ground, crying. Dimitri was automatically by my side and I could feel him pulling me into his arms, but I pushed away. I didn't need to be held, I needed to be let go. And that's just what he did stepped away, and walked away. That was the last time I saw Dimitri in five days.

As the days past, Lissa would peek in and make sure I was alright, but I mostly pretended I was sleeping. She probably knew by now that I was faking, but she never said anything. I just waited for them to throw me out of the hospital, and that day came soon enough. The doctor examined me quickly, signed a crap piece of paper, and sent me packing. When I left the hospital I went straight back to my room. I locked the door and threw myself on the bed. No one would be walking in unannounced anymore. I heard a knock at the door, but didn't care who it was, I wasn't answering it.

"Roza please, let me in, I, I need to see you. I need you Roza. Please, let me in." He pleaded at the door. My heart tugged towards Dimitri, screaming at my head to let him in, but I just couldn't. It was like my feet wouldn't allow me to walk to the door. But before I could respond, there was a jiggle of the knob and he was in. "Damn security is so fucking bad here." I mock-laughed. His expression deepened. He shut the door and strode over to me. He picked up my left hand and rubbed the engagement ring he placed there about two weeks ago.

"Roza, tell me something. Do you want to even marry me or was that just a reflex response when I proposed. I would like to know." He asked. I was semi-insulted by that question, but I wasn't sure why. "Are you doubting my love for you Dimitri?" I asked, getting frustrated. He sat up quickly. "Of course not Rose! I know your love for me is undying, you proved that many, many, many times. I am just not so sure your idea of marriage is as undying as the love." He said.

I shook my head. "Dimitri, marriage has never really been a dream of mine, but once you proposed I knew that it would be a dream come true to marry you! I can't even imagine it any other way." I explained. He smiled faintly. "I just wanted to know. If you are still committed, then I know we can pull through the horrible obstacles in our way of life. Roza I can't promise anything but my love for you." He whispered to me. I pressed up against him. Stress pushed me over the edge and all I wanted was him.

He realized what I was going for and he stopped me. "I don't think now is the best time Rose." He persuaded. I didn't stop trying. The fight was slowly creeping up again. "The best way to recover is to move forward and leave the past in the past Dimitri. And this would be the first step. Doing things that you miss. And I have definitely miss this." I urged, finally winning.

He stripped me down fairly quickly and made sure that he showed me what I had missed for several weeks. We were really going at it when, of course, Adrian just walks right the fuck in! We honestly did not see him at first, but we noticed him when he blew a damn gasket. He threw Dimitri off of me to my surprise, but I think Dimitri just let him do it. Then he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it.

"HOW COULD YOU ROSE? IT'S ONLY BEEN FOUR HOURS SINCE YOU LEFT THE FUCKING HOSPITAL AND YOU'RE ALREADY SUCKING BELIKOV'S DICK! SHIT ROSE! I THOUGHT I WAS BAD! LOOK AT YOURSELF! YOU ARE DOING THIS TO COVER UP YOUR REAL PAIN! IT'S RIDICULOUS! FUUUUUUUCK!" He blasted. I clenched my fists. "OH YEAH! WELL HOW ABOUT YOU ALWAYS FUCKING DRINKING TO COVER UP YOUR SHITTY PROBLEMS TOO ADRIAN! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION I DON'T EVEN SUCK DICK! I AM HAVING SEX WITH MY FIANCE IN CASE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN!" I yelled back. And this time he turned his back for a second, sucking in a huge breath. "Well you know Rose, at least I am suffering along with the pain and the actualization that MY TWO UNBORN TWINS DIED LESS THAN A MONTH AGO!" He hollered at me.

And the words cut me so deep that I not only punched him in the face, but I kneed him in the balls. "REALLY ADRIAN? WELL YOU KNOW NOW YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HAVING ANYMORE FUCKING KIDS WITH ANYONE BECAUSE I JUST JAMMED YOUR NUTS INTO YOUR STUPID ASS BODY! SUCK ON THAT DICK FUCKING LOW LYING LOSER!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I flung open the door and threw on clothes. Dimitri already dressed and ready for anything. "Rose," he caught my arm. "What happened?" He asked worriedly. "You couldn't hear the whole damn scream fest?" I asked sarcastically. He ran a hand over his hair. "Yeah, I heard. And I was hoping you kicked his ass because, I would've killed him." He threatened. I shook my head and ran out the door. "Where are you going?" He called. "Lissa's!" I yelled, but I heard banging behind me and when I turned around I saw Adrian trying to hit Dimitri.

"ADRAIN LEAVE NOW BEFORE YOU GET YOURSELF KILLED!" I warned, but he just flipped me off and kept trying, but of course Dimitri was a god compared to him and his fighting skills far exceeded Adrian's sloppy punches. "ADRIAN STOP NOW!" I ordered. But he ignored me and kept trying. Dimitri was trying not to kill him for me, but he was beating him pretty bad. When Adrian went in for a side punch, Dimitri threw him against the wall. "NO PLEASE! I DON'T NEED ANYMORE DEATH!" I yelled, making Dimitri lower his fists.

My eyes widened when I saw Adrian stand up, wobbling, with a gun. "Dimitri look out!" I screamed. Dimitri quickly ducked and so did I, but the gun had been fired and there was a look of horror on Adrian's face as he dropped the gun. I looked up behind me and saw the fainting face of Belle Doephine.


	16. Pure Emotions

Adrian's eyes went wide and darted for the door. Dimitri caught Adrian and yanked him back. I ran over to Belle who was gasping. He had shot her just below her shoulder. She was sputtering and tears ran down her face.

"Rose, I don't, I don't know what I did." She cried. I held her head up. "I'm getting you to the hospital right now Belle." I told her calmly. Adrian was sitting in the far corner, guarded by Dimitri. "Go Rose!" Dimitri urged. I scooped up Belle and hustled to the commons.

Once I was there I noticed there was no one there so I hauled ass to the hospital. I ran quickly, carrying Belle. She was unconscious now and losing blood. "Please make it." I whispered to myself. When I burst through the emergency room doors a nurse was immediately at my side.

"DOCTOR! WE NEED A STRETCHER IMMEDIATELY!" She hollered. And all at once Belle was laid on a stretcher and wheeled away. I scurried behind her and the nurses. When they rolled her into the operating room I paced outside the room. When a nurse came out I pulled her aside.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm in a rush, I need to get back to help my fiancé! Will she be okay until I get back?" I rushed out the words. She looked into the room and then back at me. "Yes she should be okay, but someone should be here when she gets done." I nodded and sped to Lissa's room.

I flung open the door. I panicked when I saw Lissa pull the covers over her and Christian roll over the side of the bed. Damn. I should have checked through the bond, but there was no time for that! "Liss, I'm so sorry, no time to explain, but Belle has been shot! She is in the hospital and you should go! You have to be there when she gets out of ER! I'm going to help Dimitri!" I quickly explained to her before running out of the room and back to my own.

When I got back to my room Adrian was sitting in the chair and Dimitri was near the door. I slammed the door. "ADRIAN! WHAT THE HELL?" I yelled at him. He winced and looked away from me. "Who were you aiming at? Me? Because you fucking missed! Which is a major disappointment because I think if you would've managed to kill me we all would be better off."

Dimitri grabbed me by the arm and spun me around. "Stop it. Now. I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Death is no escape." He said intensely. He let me go and I just stood there for a minute before Adrian started to speak.

"I don't know what came over me. Just, pain, suffering, agony, and utter failure. I mean, I've lost you, the babies, everything that has mattered to me." He said, sadly. His words stung. Not because they were mean, but because they were filled with emotion. Pure emotion. I went over to Adrian and pulled him from the chair and wrapped my arms around him.

His arms slowly curled around me. "Please don't hurt yourself over what has happened, Adrian. I love you. I always will, but you know he is who I chose. You even said I would never truly be happy without him. And I guess I just never realized how much that has effected you." I breathed, running my hair through his messy hair. He brought my hand down from his hair and kissed it.

"Listen," His voice was raspy and dripping with pain. "I love you. I doubt that I'll ever love anyone else, but your choice has been clear since I met you. I have just been too naïve to admit it to myself. I was aiming at Dimitri, but I hate to admit, I am glad it hit that girl and not him. I don't think I could've dealt with the guilt of him dying. I have no other words to describe the situation, so, that's all Rose. I am truly sorry." He confessed, tears slipping out steadily. I squeezed him to me. I kissed him on the cheek and then walked over to Dimitri. I pulled him outside the door and shut it softly.

"We need to decide what to do with him, I don't think he is well. He needs therapy at least. Or he needs to go to the hospital. I mean did you see that. It was not Adrian. He is so depressed that he almost shot you. That is definitely not healthy. So, what should we do?" I asked, looking into his beautiful brown eyes.

He ran a hand over the top of his head and let out a sigh. "Well, there isn't much we can do. The police will hear about this and investigate, leading them to Adrian. Then it is out of our hands. But in the meantime, yes he needs some kind of help." Dimitri agreed. I looked back at the door and then at Dimitri. "What, how am I going to tell him?" I asked. He grabbed my hand. "I'll tell him somehow Rose, just please go help Lissa down at the hospital." He told me. "No, Dimitri I need to be the one to tell him, it's a personal matter and I doubt he'll respond very well to you. So, you go help Lissa." I replied. He looked at me sternly and then kissed me. "Alright meet me at the hospital when you're done.

I stepped back into my room. Adrian was looking out of the window. The sun was slowly rising outside. "Uh, Adrian listen, I think you need to see someone. At least until you can sort things out with yourself. You know a therapist maybe. Or if it comes to the worst, a hospital. It shouldn't have to be this hard for you." I calmly suggested to him.

He didn't turn away from the window or say anything. I walked over to him and laid my hand on his shoulder lightly. "Listen Rose, I don't know what to do anymore, so a therapist might be a solution. I'll start there. And if that's not enough, then I'll let them lock me up in the loony bin." He said seriously. I tensed at the words "lock me up". That was the last thing I wanted them to do to Adrian.

I led him to the door. We need to go to the hospital. Well, I do, so you go home and rest. We won't speak of this. Not even to Lissa until you're ready. I'll cover for you. Just get home." I told him. He was reluctant at first, but then he headed home and I rushed over to the hospital.

I trusted that Adrian would go home like I had told him, but then again this wasn't the best time to trust Adrian's judgments. But I pushed that thought out of my mind as I made my way over to the hospital. When I finally made it to the ER counter the nurse I had seen earlier scribbled a room number on a thin slip and pointed me down the hall. I thanked her and ran in the direction she had shown me. When I made it to the room 233 I stepped in.

Poor Belle. She was hooked up to machines, lots of them. It made me shiver because not too long ago, that's where I had been. I walked over to Lissa and took her out of Christian's arms. I hugged her and felt her emotions from the bond. Guilt and anger flooded her head. I looked down into her crisp blue eyes. "Liss, none of this is your fault. She is going to be fine." Lissa nodded and wiped her eyes. "I need to go get some coffee or something." She whimpered. I looked at Dimitri and he accompanied Lissa out of the room.

"It looks worse than it really is. The doctor said that she could probably go home in the next few days. They stitched her up and Lissa tried to fully heal her, but I stopped her. She insisted, but then gave in when the nurse came in." Christian filled me in. "Well thanks for the update. Is Lissa okay? I mean her emotions were pretty heavy through the bond. It was like she blames herself for this." I asked, not really expecting what he said next.

"Uh, Rose, I really trust you. I mean like one million percent, so here goes. Lissa can't you know, like she can't have that epic moment when we have sex. She would kill me if she knew I told you, but I don't know who else to tell. It's making her extra moody and she just seems distant. She won't admit that it is making her act like this, but, when we tried earlier, before all this, she just couldn't get it. So, we were about to stop, when this happened." Christian informed me.

I wanted to laugh, but it wouldn't be the right moment. So, I held it in and took a deep breath. "Well Christian, I have never really had that problem so I can imagine how it could piss someone off. I mean that moment is the pretty much the best part. The only thing I can think of is asking one of these doctors. I'm no sex specialist, but these doctors can probably help. If you don't want to ask, I'll ask for you. Just don't worry too much. If you worry, she'll worry."

He gave a sigh of relief. And when Lissa came back we both had big smiles on our faces. "What is so," Lissa stopped mid-sentence and looked over towards Belle. She was sitting halfway up and moving her lips. "Yes of course you can come home with me!" Lissa exclaimed, leaving us all confused. "Thanks sis." Belle said, a little louder this time.

When we let the nurses know that Belle was awake and talking, they brought her some food and asked if she needed to have a feeder. She accepted the food, and politely declined the feeder. She was avidly talking and laughing with all of us. We stayed with her for most of the night. The doctor came in once and asked if she needed anything or was in any pain and he let her know that she could check out the next day. We were all relieved that she was okay.

My mind kept slipping back to Adrian. And then for some reason Christian's problem popped up in my head. I excused myself from the room and went to the doctor. "Hi, Doctor Isaac, my name is Rose, I was wondering if you had time to help me with a small problem." I asked hurriedly, knowing he had other business to attend to. He smiled at me. "What can I help you with Miss Rose?" I smiled back at him.

He was tall, Moroi most definitely, auburn hair, stopping just shy of his ears, combed back, in a professional manner. He had nice grey eyes and soft looking pink lips. He was handsome. A chiseled jaw and a perfect nose. Nice, groomed eyebrows and pearly white teeth. Damn. He was model material. But, I shook myself from oogling over the doctor. "Well, this is rather embarrassing, but I can't seem to orgasm Doctor Isaac." I blurted, feeling as if Lissa owed me. "Oh, I see. Well, can you never do it? Or just sometimes?" He asked. I cursed under my breath, because I had no idea what Lissa's orgasm problem was.

"Well I know I've done it once, but when my boyfriend and I have sex, it just doesn't happen anymore." I lied. He led me into a examining room and helped me up on the little table. He put his stethoscope in his ears and put it under my shirt on my stomach. He pressed my back. Then took off the stethoscope. "Well, it doesn't seem to be respiratory related, so, let me get some tools and I'll be right back.

Shit, he was getting tools. As if I needed this. Lissa needed to be the one in here, not me. All I had wanted was advice, not a whole examination. When he came back in, I sat up and smiled. He had a little palet of metal tools. I was breathing heavily. He walked over swiftly. "Okay Miss Rose, I need you to take off your clothes and put this gown on." He said. I got up and took the hospital gown.

In the bathroom I slipped out of my clothes and wrapped the thing around me. Should I really do all of this? I mean can he tell I'm lying? Maybe I should just tell him I came for a friend. No, that would be stupid. I tried to reason with myself, but I just ended up going back into the room and lying down on the table.

Doctor Isaac lifted my feet up and placed them in weird stirrups. I couldn't see what he was doing anymore so I closed my eyes. When I felt his hand go in me I winced. I shouldn't be doing this. He felt around and then let me know he would be doing some tests to figure out what my problem was. He rubbed my sensitive spots while asking me how it felt and what not, but I was too focused on how good it felt to answer him, and when I finally came to my senses I jumped off of the table.

"Look Doctor Isaac, I have no sex problems. I did this for my friend who doesn't want to go to the doctor because she is ashamed. I'm sorry I wasted your time, but I just need advice for her." I told him. He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "All for a friend? Miss Rose, that is rather kind, but to help her, she has to come, not you. The exam is no good if you are being examined and you're not the one with the problem." He cleared. I laughed and thanked him.

When I got back to the room Belle was still chatting with Lissa and Christian was sitting on the little couch next to Dimitri. I motioned for Christian. We stepped outside the door. "Did you ask a doctor?" He asked expectantly. "Yeah, and I was examined for no reason. Lissa has to go herself. I can't go for her. Persuade her to get checked. Trust me, if she gets the examination I did she will have no trouble." I joked, making Christian fake gag. We both laughed and went back into the room.

A nurse followed us in and went to check Belle's bandages. When she pulled them back she gasped. "I've never seen anything like this!" She exclaimed. I looked over her shoulder to see only a faint scar where the bullet had been. Lissa. "Her bandages were fine and you didn't see anything unusual. She is checking out tomorrow." Lissa told the nurse. "You are free to go now." She finished, watching the nurse leave.

Christian's eyes narrowed. "I said no healing her Lissa! Dammit! You are going to go mad if you try to heal everyone! You promised you wouldn't!" Christian yelled. She spun around and I could feel the anger inside her through the bond. "SHE IS MY SISTER AND I CAN HEAL HER IF I WANT!" She yelled back, making Christian step back. "I see how I rank in your life. The promises you make to me can be easily broken." He said coldly before hurrying out of the room.


	17. Time

I hurried after Christian. When I caught up to him, he was leaving the hospital. "Christian wait!" I yelled. He didn't stop. I ran in front of him, but he just went around me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "Look Christian, Lissa is just trying to help anyone she can. And sometimes you might not understand why she does it, but she means well." I told him.

He looked bored, and angry. "That may be true, but she still broke a promise. She told me she wouldn't heal her and she did anyways, like I don't even matter." He said bitterly, with a hint of hurt. I sighed. Well, so much for trying to sway him. "Please go back. She needs your support. Her sister is in the hospital. Not to mention I haven't told her about Adrian going to therapy." The last part slipped out and I cursed at myself. This got his attention though.

"What? Why is he going to therapy? Is it because of the babies?" When he asked me that my heart sank and my hand drifted to my stomach. "Uh, that might be part of it, but he is just having a hard time with things so, I suggested therapy and he agreed." I explained with vague details. I couldn't tell him he had shot Belle. Christian nodded.

"So will you please come back with me? I really don't want to go back up there without you. I don't want to see the pain in Lissa's eyes or feel the anger through the bond." I told him. He was unsure for a moment, but finally turned and headed back towards the hospital. I smiled, pleased with myself that I changed his mind.

When we got back in the room, Belle was packed and Lissa was holding her bags. I raised my eyebrows. "Where are you going?" I asked, knowing she would be staying with Lissa. "Well, I am checking out. Since Lissa healed me the doctor felt it was unnecessary for me to stay in this dreadful bed for no reason. So, I changed clothes and packed up my things. I looked closely at her and she had tight, light blue denim jeans on and a plain black tee. She was ready to go.

"Are you kidding me?" Christian blurted. "No offense Belle, but I just don't understand why you are caring more about her than your own boyfriend! I mean you only met her once!" He complained. Lissa was shocked and she dropped Belle's bags. "Listen Christian, I don't know what's gotten into you, but if I were you I'd watch myself!" She warned. He clenched his fists.

"Fine Lissa, if this is how you want things to be this is how they will be. Whenever you deem me worthy of your time, please let me know and I will come running at your beckoning call." He seethed. Those words stung her because I could feel the guilt through the bond, but also I could feel hate. It was minute, but I knew that the little spark of hate was the beginning of something bad for spirit users.

"Okay you guys I think it's time to get Belle out of here." I intervened. Lissa looked at me and picked up Belle's bags, ignoring Christian now. And before she could give him a nasty look, he stormed out once again. Only this time I let him go. "Liss, you know he came up here to apologize. I'm not sure you're anger was the best thing." I told her calmly. She made a rather snobby sound. "Well if he wanted to apologize so much, he shouldn't have started his apology in such a rude fashion." She said bitterly.

I rolled my eyes at her stubbornness and helped carry the bags. When we got outside, Dimitri took the bags from Lissa and I and carried them to Lissa's room. I walked beside Dimitri in silence while Belle and Lissa talked and laughed behind us like a couple school girls.

When we finally got inside Lissa's room, I couldn't believe that she had already gotten another bed and a full comforter set for Belle. "Lissa when did you do all this? I mean you never left the hospital." I asked, stunned. She gave me a rather blank look. "Don't you know I have connections Rose? People will do almost anything for me. You of all people should know." She said rather gloatingly. I looked at her with a disapproving expression, but quickly wiped it off.

"Belle, please make yourself at home." She politely said. "You two can leave. I no longer need your services." She said, as if we were maids. I rolled my eyes again and turned to walk out. Dimitri shut the door behind us and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Don't worry about what she says." He soothed me. I laughed sarcastically. "Well I don't know Chives, I think Princess Vasilissa is getting rather bold." I teased. He gently nudged me and we both laughed.

Back in my room, Dimitri lay in bed reading a Western novel, as usual, and I was gently brushing out my hair. All day I hadn't really been able to groom myself properly because I've been in a chaotic situation. Since when did Lissa start treating us all like her underdogs? I don't know what has gotten into her, but I hope it stops. I tuned into her through the bond. Her and Belle were still laughing and talking.

"Oh Lissa, you're so funny. You have so much potential." Belle said. Lissa giggled. "Oh stop." Lissa said back. This was tiresome, so I tuned out and walked over to Dimitri. I snatched the book from his hands and laughed. I kissed him and rolled onto the bed, looking at the cover of his book.

"Centennial by James Michener. How absolutely intriguing." I said sarcastically. He took the book back and dog eared the page he was on. "You know, you're like an Indian, very stubborn." He teased and I wrestled him on the bed. Of course I almost won, but he was just too clever and pinned me down. He kissed me lovingly, but then rolled over and picked up his book again.

"That was sexy. Pin me again." I said sexily, hoping to get his attention. But, he just kept reading. I cleared my throat and he looked over at me. "Yes?" He asked. "I ran my hand through my hair and shook it out. "Pin me baby." I tried to sound sexy. He laughed. "Was that your attempt to seduce me?" He asked. I smiled seductively. "Is it working?" I mused. He laughed. "Not quite." He admitted.

I looked down and saw my wrinkled clothes. "Oh I see, I am not properly dressed." I breathed. He shrugged lazily. "Eh, lingerie doesn't do anything for me. It always ends up on the floor anyways." He said nonchalantly. I slowly pulled off my clothes, but Dimitri helped me get them off quicker. Before long we were both naked, kissing each other. "Rose, can we just cuddle tonight. I mean believe me I thoroughly enjoy making love to you, but tonight I'd just like to lay with you." He asked of me.

I felt a little disappointed that we wouldn't be having sex, but I loved him and respected his requests. So I pulled him close and ran my hand through his hair. "You are beautiful Dimitri. In every way possible." I whispered to him, lightly kissing him. He hugged me to him harder. "Not as beautiful as you Roza. You are so beautiful that it hurts." He breathed, taking my words and wiping them out with his. I blinked profusely.

Before long he was stroking my hair and sending me into a light sleep. I tried to keep my eyes open, but I just couldn't. So, I let them slide closed. I knew I was sleeping because I was having a bizarre dream. Adrian was holding a baby and I was laughing. The baby giggled and made cute baby sounds. I realized I was holding a baby, too. And from the looks of it, they were both girls.

Adrian smiled widely. "Who is that pretty lady?" He asked the baby. And then I stopped in my tracks when it said, "Ma-ma." The whole dream came crashing down and my eyes flew open. Dimitri was reading his book, but I slid out of bed and went into the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stepped in. I splashed the hot water on my face, but then I just sat down and cried. I'm usually not a crier, so you know when I am truly upset. Why was life so cruel?

I didn't hear Dimitri come in, but when he pulled back the curtain and saw me with my head in my hands he began to worry. "Rose, Roza? What is it? What's wrong?" He asked rapidly. I sniffed and looked at him. "The twins." Was all I could say. He put two and two together and figured I'd had a dream.

He shut off the shower for me and grabbed a towel. He wrapped the towel around me and then picked me up and carried me back to the bed. I felt awful. He dried me off and then pulled the covers over us both while he held me tight.

"I'm sorry Roza. I wish I could fix all the problems you have, but this is just something that will get better in time. We can't pretend like it is just going to disappear, because it never will, but time heals all wounds." He calmly told me. I snuggled close to him and went back to sleep hesitantly. But this time, it was a dreamless sleep.


	18. Disapproval

When I woke up I felt a bit dizzy, but maybe that's because I kept waking up last night. It was around ten o'clock. We had both slept in, but today I needed to go see Adrian. I slowly got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. I closed the door so I wouldn't disturb Dimitri, who was still sound asleep, looking like an angel as usual.

I turned on the shower and rubbed soap all over. It felt nice to be clean and fresh. I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. I dried my body and then wrapped the towel around my waist. I wrung my hair out in the sink and brushed all the tangles. I laid the brush down and picked up my toothbrush. I brushed my teeth mindlessly and let my mind drift.

When I realized I'd been standing there brushing for a few minutes, I stopped and walked out of the bathroom. Dimitri stared at me from the bed. "Good morning love." He said happily. I skipped over and kissed him. "Good morning sweetie." I mocked, laughing as I pulled out a nice outfit, fit for being seen in public. I managed to find black dress pants and a nice white blouse.

I pulled on a white bra and grey underwear. "Where are you going?" Dimitri asked curiously. I looked over at him as I bent down and pulled on my pants. "Oh, I'm going to check on Adrian. I need the time with him. I haven't really been fair to him." I said. He looked worried for a second. "Rose, do you really think it's a good idea to see him right now?" He inquired. I sighed.

I owe it to him to make sure he is doing okay and he is getting the help he needs. I mean, it was my idea for him to get help, so I need to see him." I babbled, pulling on my shirt. Dimitri rolled out of the bed and hugged me. "Be safe." He said, kissing me while I pulled my hair into a pony, which would give people glimpses of my molnija marks. He led me to the door and watched me as I walked out.

I took my time walking to Adrian's house. When I got there I knocked softly on the door. Daniella opened the door and greeted me. "Oh Rose! What a surprise to see you!" I smiled. "What brings you here?" She asked politely. "Well, Adrian actually, Lady Iva-, I mean Daniella." I caught myself. She smiled back at me and quickly ushered me inside.

"Rose, Adrian isn't here at the moment, he went out to "run errands" he claims even though he left hours ago, so he should be back shortly if you want to wait for him here." She offered. I looked around briefly and nodded. "Thank you Daniella, I think I will wait here if you don't mind." I said. She smiled again. "Of course you can wait here. I just have some things to take care of. You can watch TV in the den if you'd like." She said, walking off and leaving me in the foyer.

I sat down on the nice antique looking couch in the living room. There were expensive looking vases and paintings. I tried not to touch anything, that way I wouldn't accidentally damaged any of their ultra expensive things. I didn't even want to turn on the huge plasma TV mounted to the wall. The remote was laying right next to me but I dared touch it. So, I sat back, relaxed, and waited patiently.

Finally, Adrian walked through the door. I got up and made my way to the foyer. "Oh, Hi little dhampir! I didn't expect you!" He sounded cheery. I hugged him and then I started to walk towards his room. "Not that way!" He said loudly, pulling my arm the other direction. I stumbled a little at the force he used pulling me towards the living room.

He pulled me down on the couch and smiled. It was a little disconcerting and weird. I smiled back automatically. "So where were you?" I asked. His smile faded a little. "Well, I told my mom I was going to run errands, but really I've been gone for about five hours. I lied to her because I went to meet with a shrink who could make time for me later at night because of the alternate vampire schedule."

I raised my eyebrows at him and he stared at me. "Don't worry, he already works with Moroi and dhampirs so he knows about us." He assured me. I lowered my eyebrows and just looked at him. "I just hope you're getting the help you need." I told him. He kind of laughed dryly. But I cut him a look and it made him stop. "I'm fine little dhampir. I know things have been horrible lately, but I'm doing what you said and getting the help." He chuckled. I bit my tongue, holding back words I know I didn't need to say.

I was about to ask him about his therapy when his mom walked in with a few other women I hardly recognized. They barely made it through the door before they stopped in their tracks and stared, whispering to each other. "Oh good, good! Adrian you're home! I hope Rose was able to speak with you because I need your help setting up the parlor for tea!" She said chipperly. Adrian looked at me and rolled his eyes.

He stood up and walked over to the group of women stalled in the foyer. "Well ladies I assure you all that I will be able to join you in a while, but right now I'm talking with Rose. She has waited for me and I only feel it fair that I talk to her before I go with you." He casually stated. They all looked delighted by his mere presence. "Alright Adrian, but don't be too long." Daniella warned, before escorting her group to the parlor.

He made a groaning noise as he sat down. "They are dreadful." He complained. I laughed a little, but stopped when a blond head popped around the corner. "Are you about done with her?" The blondie asked rudely. Adrian hopped up and slid towards her. "Please Mrs. Salvador, don't rush things. This is my girlfriend." The lady's eyes widened and she looked disturbed. "Well,uh, ex-girlfriend, sadly." He said sounding genuinely grieved.

The woman snorted and looked at me. "If I were you Adrian, I'd stay away from her and start searching in your own kind. She is trouble." Mrs. Salvador said, walking off daintily. I flipped her off, but not in time for her to see me. Damn. Adrian sighed and sat back down next to me. "I'm sorry Rose, those women obviously think highly of themselves and Moroi, but I don't know why they take so much interest in me." He said honestly.

"Listen Adrian, I just wanted to come over to spend a little time with you and see how you were doing, but now I see that I'm obviously not welcome, so I think I'll go." I said, getting up. He got kind of upset and jumped up grabbing my wrist. "No Rose! Don't leave! I don't care about mom's people! I want to stay with you as long as I can!" He said, almost sounding desperate.

"How about I come back first thing tomorrow. We will have more time and we can have lunch and-," Adrian stepped forward and pressed his mouth against mine. My eyes were open wide in surprise. He grabbed my neck and kept his mouth against mine. I tried to get away, but we just ended up closer to the hall. I was about to shove away when Mrs. Salvador and another Moroi woman saw us.

"Oh dear lord! What is this?" Mrs. Salvador yelled, bringing her hand to her chest and pulling the other lady behind her, as if she were protecting her from danger. Adrian pulled back and smiled cockily, even though I'm sure I didn't look too thrilled. "Well Mrs. Salvador, I assure you I was kissing my dear Rose goodbye." Mrs. Salvador and the lady behind her were mortified.

"Pardon me Mr. Ivashkov, but if you expect to live a high end life, I suggest you don't knock up this blood whore here, because you will surely be unsatisfied." She said coldly. I didn't really take offense to her words, but Adrian went nuts. He lunged at Mrs. Salvador and tackled her to the ground, pinning her there. "Don't you ever talk about her like that again you bitch. Your pride and dignity is shoved so far up your ass that you can't tell what's what! And if you value your money and your glory, I **SUGGEST** you never come back here!" He seethed through his teeth. Mrs. Salvador was shaking, but I never tried to pull Adrian off of her. She kind of deserved it.

Adrian stepped over Mrs. Salvador and the lady she was with ran out of the door with Mrs. Salvador close behind. Adrian stood up and dusted off his nice white pants and crisp blue shirt. But I noticed that all of Daniella's guests were gathered in the hall. Daniella pushed past them all and grabbed Adrian.

"How could you? You know that she is one of the most valuable here!" Daniella exclaimed in front of everyone. Adrian shrugged. "She was being a royal bitch, so I put her in her place and she ran. Honestly I don't care." He said, smiling maliciously. Daniella looked furious, but she turned around and smiled at her visitors. "Ladies, please go home and be safe. I'm sorry about all of this." She apologized before escorting them all out.

"Please Rose, leave, I need to talk with my son alone. I'm sure you can come back in the morning. It's getting late." She excused me. I waved before I was rushed out of the door. I walked back towards my room. I thought about how bold it was for Adrian to just kiss me like that. He might need more help than I thought.

I walked silently until I heard scuffling behind me. I turned around but no one was there. I went into defensive mode, but I couldn't see anyone there, and if it was Strigoi I'd feel it. So, I eased up and just walked a little quicker. But out of nowhere Mrs. Salvador charged and pounced.


	19. Painful Changes

I was startled at first, but I did a quick sweep kick to knock her down. She stumbled and fell on her back. "Moroi aren't suppose to be with dhampirs!" She hollered, jumping up and lunging for me again. I moved out of the way, causing her to crash into the side of the building and crumple to the ground. Her nice dress was all bloody and dirty and the white gloves had rips in them.

She got up and stammered, leaning against the wall for support. A huge gash was dripping blood on the side of her head. She laughed satanically. "You're a blood whore, and that is all you'll ever be. Stay away from Adrian Ivashkov. The one kiss you might have shared will never matter. His parents loathe the sight of you and him together. The idea of you two is like a disease to them. So pack your things and go seduce someone else." She snarled, attempting to walk away.

I tried not to let her get to me, because I knew it wasn't really worth it. I turned and walked away. I could her her rambling and shouting behind me, but I paid no attention to her. As soon as I got back to my room, I was relieved. As much as I loved Dimitri it was nice just to have some alone time to process everything in my own head.

I kicked off my shoes and stripped down to my bra and underwear. I pulled on one of Dimitri's shirts and crawled under the covers of my bed. I turned on the TV that we hadn't had time to watch, or the energy, and flipped through the channels. I barely got to channel thirty before I fell asleep.

I woke up around eleven o'clock and the sky was abnormally bright. I pulled back the curtains and saw the moon full and shining. It was pretty. Dimitri rustled behind me and yawned. "What are you doing today?" He asked sleepily. I thought for a minute. "Well, I think I'll go see Liss and then I promised, well sorta promised, Adrian I'd meet him again today since we were interrupted by Daniella's tea party." I answered.

He seemed disappointed that I had so much planned. I walked around the bed and laid beside him. He pulled me to his side and grabbed my left hand. He looked at the diamond and ruby rose engagement ring and smiled. "Sweet, sweet Roza." He beamed quietly, kissing me softly. It was a moment I'd love to live in forever. I kissed him back and then got up reluctantly.

He held onto my hand, but had to let go when I ventured over to the dresser. I picked out a black shirt and a nice denim skirt I forgot I had. Dimitri stared at me in a protective manner. "Rose, I really wish you wouldn't wear that skirt, I mean look at you! You have the perfect body." He said, mesmerized. I gave an over exasperated sigh, playfully. "Oh Dimitri, no one will be laying a hand on me." I said mock-seriously, feeling a little bad because just yesterday Adrian had kissed me off guard.

I gave Dimitri a reassuring smile and then hurried into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and got dressed. Once I was dressed and ready, I walked out of the bathroom. Dimitri was up and making the bed. I glanced over at him, and it looked as if something was bothering him. "Dimitri, are you okay?" I asked nervously. He paused and looked up at me. "Yes, I'm fine." He said, nodding his head. I stared at him for a minute before putting my shoes on.

"I don't know how long I will be out, but I'll be back here." I mentioned to him. He didn't acknowledge me so I just kissed him and walked out the door. As I walked to Lissa's I was thinking about Dimitri the whole way over. He was acting strange. Typical Dimitri would have answered me no matter what and not wear his emotions on his face so clearly.

I made it to Lissa's and knocked on her door. I heard constant giggling and when she opened the door, the giggling stopped abruptly. Lissa's smile faded and Belle walked out of my view. "Can I help you?" She asked. "Uh, yea Liss, I'm here to visit you guys." I said. She looked me up and down. "I don't let traitors in my home." She spat. My heart stopped and I was baffled. "What?" I asked, confused. "You heard me. I don't let traitors in my home. Especially ones like you." She hissed cruelly.

I couldn't believe the words Lissa was shooting at me. "Liss I don't know what you're talking about." I fumbled, but her look just got nastier. "Oh please, you mean you didn't let Adrian shoot Belle? I can't believe after that you aren't begging for forgiveness. And then to cover for him is even worse! You disgust me and I never want you to come here again. And as for the stupid bond, I regret ever saving you. I hope there is some way to end it. You're a monster." She flared.

I was devastated at what she threw at me. Before I could ask anything else she slammed the door. I ran. I ran as fast as I could and didn't even care what I had planned yesterday. It was all canceled. I ran fast, and when I reached the gates I yelled at the men in the booths to let me out. They shrugged and opened them. I kept running down the road, not stopping for anything, not even my lungs that were starting to tire.

When I finally stopped, I was in a little forest area. The road ran in between two sides of forest. I sat down in the grass, breathing frantically and feeling the first drip of a tear. It all came quickly and I was crying heavily before I knew it. It was dark outside, except for the moonlight. I could see what looked like headlights pretty far down the road. It got closer and closer and I could make out the headlights of a car. The car screeched to a stop and the back door flew open.

"Rose?" A voice yelled. I looked up to find Ambrose. Perfect, I thought sarcastically. I didn't say anything I just sat there lifeless. He dragged me to the car and helped me in. We drove off and I could've cared less. "What were you doing out there?" He demanded. I looked over at him and stared. I wasn't going to open my mouth. "Rose?" He said, impatiently. When I didn't answer, he sighed.

About twenty minutes later we rolled up at the gates again. I was kind of pissed. They let us in and I took the opportunity to open the door and get out. Ambrose protested from inside the car, but I ignored him and headed for the nearest bar. I had been a party person back at the Academy, but Dimitri saved me from all of that and with the help of Lissa I stopped. Thinking about Lissa squeezed barbwire around my heart. I was pretty much depressed.

I walked into a bar named Bottoms Up. It was your standard bar. Loud music, smoky air, and drunk people. I sat down at one of the tables and ordered three shots of vodka. As soon as the bartender served me the shots I downed all of them in a matter of seconds. Some people looked my way, but not enough for me to care. I looked around and when I saw a figure in the back of the room I wondered if I was drunk already.

I squinted my eyes trying to make sense of what I saw. It was Dimitri, drinking his twelfth scotch from the number of glasses I counted on the table. He was laughing with some guy and I rushed over. When I made it over I found out that the guy was Adrian and they were both laughing. "What the fuck is this?" I hollered angrily. They stopped laughing and Adrian got up. "Sorry Rose, Belikov here had awful news and I figured we'd lighten the mood." He slurred. I was furious! "Dimitri swirled the liquor in his glass around, not making eye contact with me.

"Dimitri! What could you have possibly discovered that is so horrible that you had to drink twenty scotches?" I growled. He finally looked me in the eyes. "We need to move."


	20. Leaving

"Wha- wha- what do you mean we need to move?" I asked. Dimitri's eyes fell to the table and his hand were wrapped tightly around the glass of scotch. "Have you noticed that we are just sitting here idle? Rose, we need to live. I would like to become a guardian again, if it is possible. I love you and if we are going to even try to live a life together, we need to get out of this Court!" He started to raise his voice.

I tried to push Lissa out of my head, but I had to bring her up somehow. Even as an excuse. "Dimitri, I do love you, but what about Lissa? I can't just leave her! And not to mention Belle." Dimitri looked at me and then down at the table. "Roza, I can't do much about Lissa's decisions. Even if I was readmitted as a guardian, they would never assign me to Lissa because of my records." He sadly admitted.

I knew what Dimitri was saying was true, but that didn't mean I would give up so easily. "Dimitri! Are you crazy! Lissa and I share a bond! And when we are separated no good can come from it." I lied, thinking about the last time I spoke to Lissa, and the words she slapped me with.

Dimitri sighed heavily and I was getting light headed from the heavy alcohol fumes and thick cigar smoke. "I need to get out of here." I said. But, as I turned to leave Adrian caught me by the arm. I looked at him with momentary disgust, but then pity and disappointment took its place. "Say Rose," He slurred, "What were you doing here in the first place." I looked at him and turned around again, but Dimitri's voice stopped me. "Please tell me." I barely heard him say over the buzz of drunk people and annoying music. I turned slightly with tears welling up in my eyes. "It's Lissa she says she hates me. Because she knows that Adrian shot Belle."

I choked up and rushed outside. It was all too much. The recap of my visit to Lissa's killed me. She was pretty much my sister, my best friend, my spiritual confidant. And to have her stake me with those words destroyed me almost as much as when I thought I'd lost Dimitri. Dimitri came out of one of the doors shortly after me. He put his hand on my shoulder and turned me around.

"Look Rose, I know Lissa didn't mean what she said, I think she may be a little confused and scared. But, you should go back and try to talk things over with her and Belle. I will even go with you." He offered kindly. But I shook my head. "She was serious about what she said and she had meant it. She said she regretted saving me from death and wished that she could break the bond."

Dimitri was briefly speechless, but then gained his composure and responded intelligently. "I believe that she is just under a numerous amount of stress that we don't realize, and she is making up for lost time with Belle. There was really no reason for her to go to extremes with you, but I bet if you saw her again she'd apologize."

I tried to believe Dimitri's reasoning, but I just couldn't. The words still pierced through me. I couldn't even attempt to use the bond, because it just reminded me more of what Lissa had said to me. Dimitri must have noticed how much this was affecting me, because he put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I looked up into his eyes.

"I think I should go see if she might let me explain. It's getting late." I looked up at the sky and saw the faint light of sunrise. He nodded and walked me towards Lissa's room, hand in hand. He knocked with force against Lissa's door. She opened it within seconds and gave me a rather nasty sneer that made me want to barge in and demand an explanation.

"You again." She simply said. I frowned angrily. "Look Lissa, I don't know what has gotten into you, but I really wish you would stop. Those words you said earlier were pretty damn cruel and I hope they never escape your mouth again." I said. She stood there nonchalantly which really pissed me off. I was gritting my teeth so no words could escape.

"Alright Rose, I'll tell you what, since we've been friends for so long I'll tell you what, if you go away right now, I promise to apologize for what I said earlier, but if you don't then, well let's just say things will get pretty nasty around here." She warned, rolling her eyes.

I couldn't believe this, my own best friend, threatening me. "As you wish, Princess Vasilissa Dragomir. I am so very sorry to inconvenience you and your royal bitch. I see that promise, love, and friendship mean nothing to you. And for that I pity you. Goodbye madame." I said mockingly, flipping her off and storming away. Dimitri tried to stop me, but I ignored him and pushed on.

"Rose, stop." He fussed, but I kept walking, determined to go and throw my stuff in a suitcase and get the hell away from here. "Rose, STOP!" Dimitri ordered, grabbing my arm and pulling me back. I spun around facing him. I tried to look away from him, but he grabbed me face and forced me to look at him. The tears were spilling from my eyes and anger making me want to scream.

"Oh Roza, I didn't know it was that bad." He whispered, stroking my hand. "D-Dimitri," I stuttered, "We have to get out of here. I can't be here anymore. I want to go." I sobbed, hoarsely. He stroked my hair and picked me up. He carried me all the way back to my room and then set me down gently on the bed. I hopped off the bed and started throwing my clothes into the suitcase, hoping to leave ASAP.

"Where will we go?" I asked Dimitri. He smiled. "Home." Was all he said. I knew that somehow Dimitri would have a plan and that somehow we would end up somewhere where we would be okay.


	21. Home

When I woke up in Dimitri's arms, we were on a plane. The lights were dim and the people around us were sleeping. I sat up a little to get a better view of everything. "You don't have to wake up just yet, but we are just about there." Dimitri said smoothly. I rubbed my eyes and leaned back in the seat. I shut my eyes, relaxing.

I was gently awoken by Dimitri, who let me know we had landed. "We're home." He smiled, melting my heart. I looked around and I could recognize some landmarks, but it wasn't until the word home echoed in my head. We were in Russia.

Dimitri let go of my hand and pulled me into his arms. "I love you Roza and I think we should start our lives here, far away from all the bad memories." I smiled up at him as we hit the runway. I was barely jostled when we landed because Dimitri was holding me. I was thinking about what he had just told me.

Away from all the bad memories. There may not be any bad memories in Russia for him, but for me there were a few. I had to spend time with Dimitri's family grieving the loss of him. His family assumed he was dead and now we are here, showing up re-opening wounds with them after they already accepted the fact that Dimitri was gone.

I decided not to bring that up with Dimitri just yet. We pulled into the plane gate and the doors opened. Dimitri helped me up and we both got off. We walked quietly to the bag claim where Dimitri waited and got our bags. He carried them over to where I was standing and we walked outside.

Dimitri caught a cab for us and threw our bags in the trunk. I was already sitting down when Dimitri got in. The driver sped off asking us where we were headed. Dimitri spoke in Russian to the man and I guessed that he was telling him exactly where we were going.

We were in town before I knew it and all the lights were amazing. I leaned my head closer to the window, smiling. Dimitri glanced over at me and pulled my hand into his. "I knew you'd love it here." He said happily. I leaned into him and then sat up straight as we pulled in front of a cute little house.

The house didn't look familiar, but I could just not have remembered it. Dimitri got out first, rushing to get the bags. He walked over and stood close by my door as I got out. I shut the door behind me and looked at Dimitri who was now paying the cab driver and thanking him. I waved at the driver as a gesture of gratitude and turned towards the house. It was a nice looking house.

Dimitri let the bags sit on the sidewalk and unexpectedly picked me up. I tried to wriggle out of his arms, but to no avail. "Dimitri, what is this for?" I asked expectantly. He just grinned carrying me to the door and pulling out a key from his pocket. I stared at him. He quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside, still holding me. He said something in Russian to me, but of course I didn't understand it. "It means welcome home." He whispered, kissing me softly, while setting me back on my feet.

I squeezed his neck desperately, but he slid from my grip. "Go look around love, I'll be right back, I'm going to get our bags." He said, walking outside. I hesitated for a moment, but then took a few steps down the wide, nicely painted hallway. I stepped into the last room and stopped in the doorway when I saw it. The biggest, nicest bed I'd ever seen. It was like two king sized beds combined. I laughed to myself and finally stepped into the room.

The bed was really high, so I decided to make a run for it. I ran to the middle of the room and then hurled myself in the air, landing onto the extremely plush bed. I was laying out on my stomach, when I felt hands sliding up my sides. I shuddered with delight and turned over. "What do you think? It's all yours" He asked. I pinned him down by the shoulders and let my hair hang in his face. "It's all ours." I corrected. "It's perfect, absolutely perfect. My sweet, loving, beautiful, Dimka." I lulled.

He pulled my shirt off eagerly and I smiled at him. Everything came off after that and we had our first sex in our new Russian home. I had never felt this good in my life. It was like heaven had come crashing down right on top of me. I had Dimitri, I had a house, and I lived in Russia. I was glad the suffering had passed and we were staring new, away from the horrors of our pasts.

I woke up around eleven that night. I wondered if we could start living on a normal human schedule from now on, since we weren't as sensitive to light as Moroi were. I turned over looking into Dimitri's eyes. "Dimitri?" I asked. He looked over at me. "Yes love?" My heart skipped when he called me love. "Well I was wondering if we could maybe start living on human time." I suggested cautiously. He turned serious for a minute and then loosened again. "Yes, of course we can. If that's what you want."

I stared into his loving eyes and nodded. He winked at me, which made me laugh, and got out of the massive bed. I pulled the covers up to my chin and stared up at the decorated ceiling. It had little angels, or cupids, flying around the fluffiest white clouds. It was nice to look at.

As I was lying there staring up at the ceiling, Dimitri peaked his head out from the bathroom. He motioned his head towards him, which meant he wanted me to join him. I rolled upright and slid off the bed, stepping into the bathroom. The bathroom was also beautiful. A huge glass shower, jacuzzi, counter-top, and vanity, which was really cool. The toilet was automatic and there was even a huge linen closet. But besides all that, the vanity and jacuzzi sat on the purest crimson carpet. It made me feel like I was floating.

Dimitri was in the shower when I hopped in after marveling over my surroundings. He pulled me into him and ran his fingers through my drenched hair while I rubbed his back. It was all so romantic. He washed me and I washed him. We took our time, so we were able to spend innocently intimate time in our luxurious shower.

"Let's go enjoy the nightlife." He said into my ear. I laid my head on his shoulder briefly and he lifted my hand to his mouth, kissing the engagement ring he had given me a few weeks ago. I glanced down at it and then into his hypnotizing eyes. They were like pools of bliss, driving me mad with desire. He had to nudged me towards the door to break my gaze.

I walked out the front door first, Dimitri right behind me, turning to lock up our house. I was observing the nice surroundings when Dimitri came and grabbed my hand, guiding me slowly down the brightly lit street. "Where exactly are we going?" I asked eagerly. He chuckled softly and gave my hand an extra squeeze. "Take the lead stubborn." He teased.

Emphasizing his joke, I stopped walking and crossed my arms. "I'm not going anywhere." I said sternly, but obviously kidding, sticking my tongue out. He shrugged and started walking again. I laughed at him and began to walk again, but I heard footsteps behind me and tensed. I didn't have a stake, so I quickly assessed an alternative in my head. Dimitri stopped, glanced back and raised his brows.

"What's wrong?" He called out. I shook my head and walked to him. "I thought I heard footsteps." I told him. He looked back and scanned the area. "I don't see anyone." I looked around again, and then the instant nausea hit me. "Dimitri," I whispered, clutching my stomach, "Strigoi, close!" Dimitri sprang in front of me and pulled out a stake. I stood up straight, trying to ignore the nausea. A swarm of them charged at us.

First a woman, short, fast, and vicious. Her hair was wild, and her skin a sick tan color. She had blood smeared on her lips and her red eyes were piercing me. The woman hissed at me and dodged Dimitri. I did a sweep kick, which was unexpected. She fell to the ground but was on her feet quicker than she fell. I dodged her a few times before she finally got me and pinned me down. Her eyes were hurting me. I tried to look away, but they were staring directly into my own.

I closed my eyes for a split second before I opened them and a pair of hauntingly familiar red eyes were in place of the woman Strigoi's. I leaned as far back as the sidewalk allowed. And I kicked and screamed when I recognized the person pinning me down. It was Dimitri. I did the only thing I could manage, and that was cry. The memory of fighting so hard to get him back crushed me. To see his sinister, cold, and repulsive red eyes once again sent me into a painful abyss I was sure I'd never escape.

"Hello Roza." He growled, smiling nastily. "What's the matter you look upset. Don't you recognize me." I looked all around, trying to escape his gaze that was piercing my heart. Pierce my heart. I ran those words in my head as he tried to turn my face towards him, but before he could turn my eyes back to his, I saw the silver stake not too far from my reach. While I was being tortured with his horrible red gaze, I inched my hand closer to the stake. And as I picked it up, Dimitri plunged his fangs into my neck, causing me to scream louder then ever, I broke free and unexpectedly rammed the stake right into his heart.

Dimitri was startled and he fell back gasping. "Roza." He moaned. And the last thing I saw was Dimitri's beautiful brown eyes before I was shaken into reality and I saw my old, sweet, beautiful, amazing, Dimitri looking frightened and desperately clinging to my body.


	22. Distress

Dimitri shoved my head into his chest and squeezed me tightly, protectively. "Roza! Please be okay." He chanted frantically. I pushed back a little and held his cheeks with one hand, getting a good look at his eyes. I was relieved to see the beautiful brown pools staring back at me.

Before I could stop myself, the hysteria hit me. I scrambled quickly away from Dimitri and pulled myself to my feet. "Your eyes, and you, and the others. I can't, I can't, Dimitri I just don't understand. I don't think this, I don't know Dimitri. I just don't know!" I babbled. He reached for me but I wrapped my arms around myself and went just beyond his reach.

"Roza! Why won't you let me hold you? What is it? Tell me please! Was it the Strigoi just now? Come on we need to get inside." He said to me, calmly, but clearly upset by my reaction. I walked in front of him, hurrying into our house. Behind me he shut and locked the door. "Come on Rose, you gotta tell me what's wrong. I beg of you." He pleaded desperately. I looked at him and then turned away, walking into the living room. There wasn't much furniture yet, but there was a couch that I sat down on.

"Listen Dimitri, I love you, I love everything that you bring, but this place, it still haunts my not so distant memories." I said quietly, looking down at my shoes. He quickly came and knelt down in front of me, grabbing my hand. "If it is this house, we will move. If you are unhappy here, please, tell me. There are hundreds, thousands of other beautiful places we can live." I looked at him and put my hands over my face. "Dimitri it isn't the house! It's Russia. A beautiful place with an evil past, for me anyways." I pointed out and this made him realize what was wrong with me. He stood up and stepped back, as if he was now the one afraid, not of me, but of himself.

"Oh my god Roza! I am so sorry! I have been so excited bringing you here that I forgot. I, I'm so sorry. And tonight, those Strigoi, they, they, oh god!" He was pacing in small strides. I got up and wandered to the bedroom. There was at least a clock mounted on the wall that said twelve forty-five. I pulled off my jeans and crawled into the giant white bed. Curling up on the far left side against the wall, pulling the comforter up to my neck. I closed my wishing the memories reeling inside my head would disappear. Those horrible red eyes lingered behind my closed eyelids.

I felt the weight of Dimitri as he laid down next to me. "Sorry." He whispered sadly into the space between us. He didn't say anything else as we both lay there silently. I didn't get much sleep that night, but ungratefully got out of bed around ten in the morning, trying to adjust myself to normal time now that we were not around Moroi. Dimitri was still in bed, and I was grateful, because I felt bad after shunning him away last night when it wasn't his fault that I had been frightened of my own head.

I showered quickly trying to avoid intimacy with Dimitri at the moment. I was still trying to shake that haunting picture of his red eyes burning into mine. I splashed the hot water over my face and got out. I stood on the nice carpeted floor for a second before moving in front of the mirror to brush my teeth and brush my mess of hair.

When I looked in the mirror I was taken aback. I looked like hell. My eyes were slightly sunken in, my skin was pale, and my expression reminded me of a dying person. Was I dying? Probably so. I turned away from the mirror and crept out of the bathroom, heading over to the huge closet. I opened the door and almost passed out when I saw the enormous space and endless amounts of already stocked clothes. I stepped in cautiously trying to assess all the clothes. I picked out a simple black shirt and jean shorts.

When I was dressed and my hair tied up in a bun, I walked out of the bedroom. Dimitri wasn't in the bed anymore, and I couldn't remember if he had been gone when I walked out of the bedroom. I was in the living room, and I still didn't see him. But when I walked into the kitchen, I noticed a note lying on the marble counter top. It read,

"Dear Roza,

I am so sorry about last night. I guess I just didn't realize how bad the memories would be for you. But now I know. So I am going away for a while. If you figure anything out and you want to leave, feel free to pack up and go. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. If you feel the same way, I'll know and I'll come back to you. I'll understand if you leave the ring. I just want you to know I love you, and I will never love anyone but you.

Love,

Dimitri."

I felt like crying again when I saw the letter. Dimitri was a very unemotional man, and for him to run off like this all because of my stupidity crushed me. The guilt was weighing heavily upon my shoulders, making me want to fall to my knees in defeat. I had the perfect man. He loved me, did anything for me, wanted me to be his wife, and I was the weak one. I was the one holding back. I was the one that wanted him, that pined for him, and all I did was cringe away like a coward.

For at least twenty minutes I stood there reading the note over and over again, making sure I wasn't slipping into an alternate reality. But just as I set the paper down I was forced into Lissa's head. "Rose! Rose! Rose! If you can hear me Rose, please let me know you're okay. Strange things have been happening lately. If I said anything to hurt you, I swear it wasn't me talking. I was drugged, or poisoned, or charmed. I love you Rose. You know you're my sister and I need your help. Wherever you are, if you can hear me, come help me please! I'm so sorry!" Lissa was crying and I could feel the disorientation buzzing from her through the bond I hadn't used for a while.

It felt good to hear Lissa's voice again. Only it was better this time because she was back to her old self. I wanted to pack everything and go back to her, but if I left, I would be sure Dimitri would think that I'd decided to leave him. So, I left a note and laid it right next to his. I tried to make it as detailed as possible.

"Dimitri,

I am more sorry than I have ever been. It is not your fault that I let my emotions get the best of me. I am ashamed of the way I've acted towards you. I love you more than anything in this world, but no one would ever know that by just looking at how I treat you. Lissa has come to her senses, apologized, and claims strange things have been happening, so I am going to see what is wrong with her. Please come find me when you read this. I miss you and I want you to come back so we can begin our life here in Russia. I love you so so so much Dimitri Belikov. Come home to me.

Love,

Roza."

As soon as I wrote the note I tapped it down to the counter, grabbed my bag, and rushed out the door. I hauled a cab to the airport, trying to quickly pay for my ticket back to the U.S. I tried to hurry, but I kept getting stopped and searched. It took almost thirty-five minutes to get past all the security. I almost missed the flight.

I hopped on the plane and tried to squeeze my way into my seat by the window, next to a very good looking man in a suit. He resembled Dimitri, but not as big and muscular. His suit looked expensive. It was all black, with a white button up, and a deep red tie. His shoes were so shiny that I could use them as a mirror. I smiled at him and he returned an even bigger smile. I was turning to look out the window when he leaned over in my ear and whispered, "Are you Rosemary Hathaway?". I was surprised when he said my name.

I looked at him and smiled again. "Yep, that's me. Rose." I tried to act as if no one had never notice me, to be polite, but I couldn't keep up the charade as he went on and on about how people in Russia were familiar with the stories about me. I finally stopped him. "I don't mean to be rude sir, but you have no idea how tired I am of hearing about myself. Honestly, I wish I was a nobody right about now." I gave a dry little laugh as his face slowly lost it's expression.

"Well then why are you so great if you don't like the attention?" He timidly asked. I smiled and gave the best answer I could think of. "Because I had the best teacher in the world. He took me in when no one else thought I had the potential. He took me where no one dared, and I am a better person than I ever would have been had I not met him." The man just looked at me, astounded. "That's pretty powerful for someone so young." He replied. And I just sat there. Thinking about my age for once. I was only nineteen and I had been through a hell of a lot of shit.

"When you've been through as much as I have, you rarely think about your age, and more about what lies in front of you." I said to him, amazing myself by the level of maturity I had suddenly acquired. "I'm Caleb, by the way." He mentioned. "Nice to meet you Caleb. Where you headed in the big USA?" I asked mockingly. His smile widened and he handed me a paper. I was baffled by what I saw. He was going to be a guardian, but not just any guardian. At the top of the nice paper it had Vasilissa Dragomir in bold print.


	23. Mysterious

I stared at the paper with Lissa's name on it. How could this happen? I was suppose to be Lissa's guardian, not some random Russian guy. "Uh, Caleb, no offense but who in the world set you up with her?" He looked amused. His laugh irritated me. Yes, I had left the Court and separated myself from Lissa, but that was only temporary. I had planned to go back for her. Or had I? I mean she was after all practically my sister. We shared something that I'm pretty sure no one else in the world shared. And whether or not she had spewed those awful and utterly hateful words at me, it sounded like she sincerely regretted them when I heard her the other day.

Caleb's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Well Miss Rose, I am from the U.S. I'm sure you can tell that I have no accent. I was relocated to Russia to presume a series of highly restricted missions. It seems as though there had been a pandemic of Strigoi in the area. I tried to locate them, but all I got was a few stories of them running about at night. Until a very unusual thing happened. I encountered a Strigoi who begged to become a dhampir again. It was like nothing I'd ever witnessed. Of course I couldn't help her and she attacked me, thus ending rather unfortunately. But, when I came across a number of people speaking of you, I soon became educated on why the Strigoi had begged to become a dhampir again." I tried not to stop Caleb from his story, but it was very difficult for me to control myself. "Look kid, I know it may seem like you have your life entailed with the perks of a thousand kings, but Lissa isn't just some royal prude that you can follow around and scout out Strigoi every now and again. She is more precious than anything. So please, do me a favor and find someone else to guard."

Caleb looked at me for a while before speaking again. "They said you were a feisty one." He chuckled. "Look Miss Rose, I mean no harm to Lissa. I know about you guys friendship and bond and all of that. And I also know that it took you so much effort to try and become her guardian, but things happen for a reason. I believe that you were meant to live your own life, without protecting her. I believe that you were meant to live your life with Lissa, not following behind her. And now look at you, you are able to do that. I hear things about your mother quite frequently in the guardian circle, and you know better than I about that. So please Miss Rose, don't be angry with me. I'm just doing the job I was assigned." He sounded so sure about his theory that it made me want to believe him. I mean I guess what he said made a lot of sense. So I turned to Caleb and smiled. "You're right Caleb. Maybe I wasn't meant to be Lissa's guardian."

He looked happy that I was agreeing with him. "But I did want to warn you about a rather evil thing I also learned about while doing my mission work. I overheard Strigoi and their allies talking about a girl named Isabelle. They said she was a very powerful young woman. She had set out to claim herself as Lissa's half-sister. They say she looks like her, but has powers. Shifting and mirroring powers that enables her to do awful things. It is something no guardian I've found has ever heard of before. And I have to get to Miss Lissa before it is too late for her." A big pit of fear rose within me. Belle was evil, working for Strigoi. I couldn't believe it! She had seemed so innocent when we met, but strangely I began to notice that the longer Lissa spent with her, the meaner Lissa became. It was so bizarre. I started to notice more and more things about Belle that had hinted she may be evil.

I looked worriedly out the window of the plane. I couldn't really see much. Only fluffy clouds drifting alongside me. I hoped we would land soon so I could get to Lissa and try to explain how evil Belle was. "Where are you headed Miss Rose?" Caleb asked sweetly. I turned and looked at him. "I am actually headed to see Lissa." I debated whether I should tell him my reasons. I mean he is a total stranger and I am not about to just spill my whole story to him. Plus he didn't need to know. What I was going to see Lissa for was really none of his business. Right now I was trying to assess this new found information on Belle. "Caleb, you said something about Belle, I mean Isabelle being a shape-shifter? So what she is just pretending to look like Lissa?" Caleb's face became puzzled and I didn't exactly know why. "You say that like you know her or something." Damn. I had used her nickname and spoke as if I'd seen her before, which truthfully I had. But I quickly lied. "Oh no, but I would assume if she was posing as Lissa's half-sister she would need to look like her." I improvised. He bought it. "Ah, yes you're very right Miss Rose. No wonder you so well-known." I mentally rolled my eyes at his remark.

I was about to respond when there was a ding in the cabin. "Dear passengers, we will be landing shortly. Please throw all your trash in the waste baskets the attendants are bringing around. Buckle your seat belts and prepare for a smooth, and approaching landing." I felt my heart skip a beat and prepared myself for our landing. Caleb smiled over at me and buckled his seat belt. I hated landing. I closed my eyes, breathed slowly, and gripped the armrest. That was between Caleb and I. And instantly when I felt us start to descend I was ripped into Lissa's head. "Rose please, please, if you can hear me, I really need you Belle is acting really strange. She is being really awful. I need you please Rose. I am so sorry for whatever I did to you. I love you! Please Rose! Please! I think time is running out for me." She sobbed. And just that quick I snapped back into my own head. I didn't notice that Caleb's hand was holding mine until I became fully aware that we had completely landed. I rudely snatched my hand from his, giving him a rather undeserved glare. "Are you alright? You were struggling quite a bit." I smirked and patted his shoulder. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine, kid." He slyly smiled. "I'm twenty-three, I'm no kid." I was shocked for a moment when he said that. Twenty-three! He was older than me and yet, somehow I felt older than him. Maybe it was the way my life had panned out so far. I was only nineteen. And this kid, guy, whatever, was twenty-three!

I caught up to Caleb in the bag claim area and eyed him. I got a full look at him and decided he looked like he could be twenty-three. He was about six, two, with nice clothes and pretty, thick golden brown hair. His eyes were a deep green, like emeralds. He had nice lips. They were pink and full, and an impeccable smile. All of his teeth were white and straight as a board. I began to become mesmerized as I noticed how truly hot he was. But before I could stop myself he caught me. "See something you like?" He asked smoothly smiling playfully. "Oh no, just enjoying the view." I said moronically. "The view of what? Conveyor belts and huge luggage bags?" He chuckled. I looked away, embarrassed. "Yes, they view is marvelous. I love how the conveyor belts go around and around, and all the different kinds of bags there are." I teased. We both laughed for a minute. And before I could admit that I thought he was very good looking and thank was all, he turned to me and said, "Well I think all of this stuff is pretty damn ugly and boring, but I love the view right next to me. I think that's pretty spectacular." My eyes widened and I think I took a few steps backwards. "Not me." I replied, making him laugh and smile his perfect smile again. "Well Miss Rose I think you are hot. No offense and I mean no harm, but you are smokin'." I had to try really hard not to laugh when he said smokin'. "Uh, thanks Caleb, but I am engaged." I informed him, waving my hand in front of him. When I looked at the ring I thought of Dimitri and felt guilty for the things that had occurred before I had left. Caleb's face lost a little of it's happiness. "Oh, I see. Congrats." He stared at the ring hard as if willing it to disappear.

Just then our bags came through and he grabbed his and then took mine from me. And I snatched my bag right back. "I'm not a damsel Caleb." I said, tossing the bag over my shoulder and carrying it out. I looked for a cab, but Caleb pulled me towards a black limo. "Uh, Caleb, I like you and all, and I'm sure we will see each other, but what are you doing exactly?" He shook his head. "Come on Miss Rose, get in the car. I can't have someone like you being forced to hail a cab. I promise you, we are both headed to Court, unless you lied to me and you're here for another matter. I hurled my suitcase into the trunk and slid into the nice limo seats. The chauffeur closed my door. "Thanks Caleb. This was really nice of you." I thanked him. "No problem" He shrugged nonchalantly. We drove in a pleasant silence until we pulled up to Court. Caleb looked out of the window and I just rolled my eyes. Court, the same, big, fancy, overrated place I began. "It's not all that." I muttered to myself. We got to the gates and they ushered us inside. We took the elaborate turns and ended up near the housing rooms. I knew exactly where to go. "Thank you Caleb. Thanks for everything and I'm sure we will be seeing each other very soon. But, until then I need to go."

I didn't wait for the chauffeur to open my door. I hopped out and grabbed my bags. I rushed up to Lissa's room and looked in my bag, praying that I still had her room key. I found it and quickly opened the door. I was terrified by what I saw. Lissa was tied to the bedpost and Belle was glaring into her eyes. But when Belle noticed me she shot the most horrible glare at me. "What is she doing here?" She yelled. I laughed mockingly. "Oh didn't you miss me bitch?" I ran towards Belle, but just before my eyes, my mom appeared. Lissa was unconscious, but I was stills stunned. "Mom?" I asked wearily. "Oh Rosemary, it's been too long dear. How are you?" I didn't answer because there was something off. Where had Belle gone? And then I remembered. Belle was a shape-shifter. "Oh really Belle? Well I think you're going to have to do a lot better than that." I cornered her and I yanked out my stake. I was just about to use it when she turned into that awful familiar face and made me stop instantly. She had transformed herself into Dimitri. Only not sweet, loving Dimitri, but evil, red-eyed Strigoi Dimitri.

I backed away quickly. "No, please not this again. I can't do it." I whispered to myself and Belle laughed madly. "Oh, Roza, what's the matter? Don't you love me?" I tried to ignore the haunting memories that were slowly creeping their way into my memory. I opened my eyes just in time to see Dimitri-Belle slam me against the far wall and Caleb attack her with incredible speed, handcuffing her and locking her in the closet. He ran to me, but I waved him away. "Get Lissa." I gasped, trying to restore my regular breathing. He hurriedly untied Lissa and laid her on the bed. Then he rushed back over to me and picked me up. "Oh Rose! Are you alright?" I nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Thank you Caleb." I was going to say something else but he unexpectedly kissed me with passion. I was so surprised that I didn't have much time to react, but when I did realize what was going on I pushed away. But it was too late, Lissa had seen us. "Rose, what the hell is going on?"


	24. Tretchery

Why is it always me? I asked myself. Why is Caleb all of a sudden kissing me? Did I miss something? Was I dreaming? I shook my head and had a delayed reaction to the kiss by smacking Caleb across the cheek, a rather generic action. "Rose, what the hell is going on?"Lissa asked again. I turned and hurried over to her.

"Oh Liss! Are you okay?" I asked frantically, ignoring Caleb rambling something behind me. Lissa rolled her eyes and stood up. "I'm fine, but would you care to explain who this is and why he was kissing you?" I wish I could have shrugged her question off, but her eyes bore into mine with expectancy that I couldn't escape. "Lissa this is Caleb." I said flatly. "Caleb who?" She raised one eyebrow. I looked at him and realized that I didn't even know his last name.

"Caleb Seville." He interceded. Lissa gave an approving smile, but then turned back to me and narrowed her eyes accusingly. "Does he know you're engaged? Or did you forget to tell him? Or perhaps you don't care?" Lissa's words hit me like a train, full force. "Liss look, he knew I was engaged, I even showed him the ring and I think he got the wrong impression from me. I guess I should have been a little more assertive, but I never intended it to go this far." I justified. She shook her head. "It's just like Adrian isn't it? You lead him on and then leave him and run back to your beloved Dimitri."

Instead of shaking her rude and accusatory comments off I exploded. "WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM LISSA? DOES OUR LIFE LONG FRIENDSHIP MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU? I WOULD NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS TALK TO YOU LIKE THAT! I JUST CAME ALL THE WAY FROM RUSSIA TO SAVE YOUR ASS AND WHAT DO I GET? A MOTHER FUCKING LECTURE AND HURTFUL REMARKS!" I couldn't help but scream the words at her.

This took both Lissa and Caleb by surprise causing utter silence throughout the room. Lissa opened her mouth but nothing came out, but she walked over to me and threw her arms around me. "Rose I'm so so sorry. Please forgive me." She whispered in my ear. I hugged her back tightly. I could see Caleb out of the corner of my eye watching me. This made me weary of him and made me want to run. After all I had just met the guy and he already kissed me.

We were all snapped from our own thoughts when Belle burst from the closet and jumped on Caleb. I pushed Lissa towards the bed and tore Belle from Caleb. "Rose, how noble." Belle snarled ferociously. I shook my head and tackled her. We were really going at it when a strange feeling crept over me, like I was a puppet on strings being controlled by someone else. And apparently Belle felt it to because we had both stopped fighting and were now drifting apart. Then I was sitting on the ground and Belle was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Make it stop! PLEASE!" She yelled in agony. "What's the matter Belle? I thought you wanted me to use my Spirit power. Well, now I'm using it. Happy?" Lissa said in a menacing, taunting voice. And then I realized it was her that was controlling me and now torturing Belle. "Tell me why you came for me?' Lissa demanded. "WHY?" Belle yelled louder. "Tell me or I will make it hurt worse." Belle turned away and screamed. "Alright! Alright!' She gasped.

"You Vasilissa Dragomir are the last blood heir to the throne and the Strigoi know. They want you dead! They want Rosemary Hathaway for another matter but none the less they want you both! I was sent after so many before me failed, and now I see why. I thought by reviewing your history and putting on a good show that I could manipulate you, but there is something about you that extends far beyond the normalcy of regular Moroi or dhampirs. And once I learned Spirit was involved I became even more confident in my plan. Kill you and capture Rosemary. You see with you dead a new person can step into line, someone less powerful, easier to annihilate , and with Rosemary I can collect my ransom!" Belle elaborated. "What ransom?" I jumped in quickly. "What's it to you?" Belle laughed. I narrowed my eyes and looked as intimidating as possible. "The ransom that involves me!" I snarled.

Belle smiled wickedly in my face and sneered. "Well Rose, words out that a few Strigoi are on the hunt for you and your hubby Dimitri. They say you fucked up big time running away from them and thinking you had escaped. So, they set a ransom more for you than him, but none the less for you both. The rarest blood for you, and a fine blood for Dimitri." She said menacingly.

I twisted my lips up in a devilish smile. "Well Belle good thing you won't be telling anyone about me or Dimitri, because I'm going to kill you." When I said this everyone looked at me with shocked expressions and Lissa even looked scared. "But Rose, why would we kill her?" Lissa asked in a small voice. "Don't you see Liss? She was going to kill us and then trade our bodies for blood! We have to!" I explained frantically. She turned and then nodded.

Caleb was still holding Belle tightly so she couldn't run and I got right in her face with a stake in my hand and pressed it to her stomach. "What are you?" I demanded, making her twist uncomfortably. "What's it to you?" She asked. I pushed the stake a little making it bite into her skin. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. "I am not playing fucking games! What are you?" I demanded again. She was still gritting her teeth but opened her mouth to say, "Why should I tell you? You're only going to kill me anyways! I might as well die satisfied than die unsatisfied!"

I pushed the stake in more this time making it puncture her skin and make a small stream of blood stain through her orange shirt. She grimaced in pain and gasped a little. "You should tell me what you are because if you don't any ounce of consideration to let you live will disappear!" This made her face go pale and her eyes drop to the stake slowly sinking into her torso. "Alright. I will tell you." She paused for a moment and looked down again at the stake. I slowly removed it as she winced in pain.

"I am a deslocador, which means shifter in Portuguese, the native language of the first deslocadors. I was born into it. I lived throughout the world searching for my family, but never found them. I left an orphanage when I was thirteen to find my parents, but I didn't find out I was a shifter until I was sixteen. When I turned sixteen I found out I could shift when I was looking through a fashion magazine and pictured myself as one of the models. When I turned into the model I freaked out and took off running down the street. I returned to myself when the model's image had left my head.

I was confused about myself until I was eighteen. That's when I was captured by Strigoi. They could sense something different about my blood and wanted me for themselves. They did awful experiments with me, most I can't even remember, but then finally one got carried away and bit me, nearly sucking me dry. A few days later when I was conscious again but I realized that I had not been turned. They threatened to kill me, so instead I began working with them.

I was taught about Vasilissa, you, and Dimitri, and I knew how valuable you all were. I researched Vasilissa's history and made up the perfect long lost sister story, even making myself look like her. But since I have failed I'm not going back." She was going to continue, but I slammed the stake into her heart and killed her. Caleb jumped back in shock letting Belle's dead body drop to the floor staining the carpet with her thick red blood. Lissa's eyes widened in terror as she ran to the other side of the room.

"Rose, what the hell?" Caleb exclaimed. "I thought you weren't going to kill her." He sounded disturbed. "Well I lied. She was a threat to us all and I did what I had to." I let out a deep sigh and turned towards Lissa. She looked awful. "Liss I'm sorry you had to see that, but I needed to get rid of her to keep you safe. You know you come first." I walked over to hug her but she backed away. I looked at my hand and dropped the stake pulling her into my chest. She didn't say anything as I released her from my arms, but she just stood there looking frightened. I was heading for the door when I collapsed and darkness enveloped me.


	25. Goodbye

I had been unconscious and when I opened my blurry eyes I saw three figures lurching over me. One was Lissa, the other Caleb, and then the last Adrian. My heart sank as I saw him. The last time I had with him wasn't exactly on the best of terms. "Oh Rose!" Lissa exclaimed noticing that I was awake. I embraced her hug. I was in a bed, I wasn't sure if it was hers or not. "You're at Adrian's house. I didn't know who else I could ask for help. Caleb is quite the man. He got rid of Belle's body in a flash. And then he hurriedly carried you to Adrian, with my directing."

I was half listening to her because I could see Adrian's eyes lingering on my face. His expression was sad, unusually sad. I felt awful for him. I mean for the way things turned out between us. "Well at least she's okay now." Caleb spoke up. I noticed him near the window. It then occurred to me that I was in Adrian's bed. I felt dizzy, but I picked myself up and swung my legs off the bed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you think you're doing?" Caleb asked, rushing over to me.

"I am leaving. I came back to protect Lissa, and that's what I'm going to do. Not sit around and feel helpless. I am fine. I just fainted. Thank you ever so much for helping me, but now I am perfectly fine." I fussed at him. He looked angry for a split second, but then the expression was gone and he moved out of my way. The whole time Adrian stayed in the corner, his eyes not leaving my face.

"Rose, listen, I know you're tough and all, but please don't strain yourself. I'm fine." Lissa said gently. I looked at her next to me. "I'm fine Liss, I've endured much harder things than this." I pointed out. This made her sigh and help me to my feet. I walked towards the door. Lissa noticed my pause and lead Caleb outside. I needed to talk to Adrian.

"Thank you. For everything." I said quietly to him. He looked away from me for the first time since I'd opened my eyes. He stayed quiet. "Are you okay?" I asked dumbly. His eyes then came back to mine in an instant and he made his way quickly towards me. He grabbed my hair gently. "Rose, I don't know what I am going to do without you. You were my reason to get up in the morning. The reason I stayed sober. Now, all is lost. And this time you won't come back for me. Ever." He breathed. I swore I could see tears brimming in his brilliant jade eyes.

"Adrian, please. Don't do this to yourself." I breathed. His expression became one filled with anger and hatred. He let me go and stormed to the other side of the room. He picked up a bottle of some sort of alcohol, which was almost empty. "Adrian stop this! Stop!" I fussed and walked over trying to take the bottle from his hand. He pulled his arm back. "NO ROSE! NOT ANYMORE! I WON'T STOP! MY LIFE IS RUINED!" He screamed, this time a few tears escaped. He was scaring me.

"You haven't even lived your life Adrian. Get away from this place. Go live. Outside of this Court. Experience the wonders of this world. Don't limit yourself to booze and cigarettes Adrian." I reasoned. Looking at him desperately. He looked like he was about to break into a million pieces. And then out of nowhere he broke down. He fell to the floor. "The babies are gone and now you're gone. I am nothing. My life is meaningless. The two things I had to look forward to in life are gone. I should have known it wouldn't last forever." He sobbed. His body heaving. Now I was starting to cry too. I had never seen Adrian like this.

He looked up and smashed the bottle against the window sill. This shocked me. Before I could stop him he picked up a shard and made a deep gash across both of his wrists. I yelled and rushed over to him. I threw the glass from his hand and sank down next to him. "ADRIAN! NO PLEASE! STOP!" I hollered. I grabbed him by the shoulders. I brought him to his feet. Blood was flowing heavily from the cuts he had made. He was blinking rapidly. I was now frantic. I rushed towards the bathroom, stumbling on the way. I ripped out the drawers until I found the toilet paper. I ran back to the room. Adrian was not moving. His eyes barely open. He had fallen back on the bed. "Oh no Adrian. Please no." I begged. I took his arms and wrapped the cuts as tightly as I could. Nearly using the whole roll.

I lifted him up. I looked at him. His expression still slightly distraught. I held him closer to me. "R-rose." He muttered. I looked down at him my eyes full of tears. "Yes." I barely choked out the word. "I-I," He was struggling. "I l-love you." He finally managed to say. My tears spilled over. "Adrian. Sweet, sweet Adrian." I said silently, brushing his messy hair from his eyes. He rolled his face towards my hand. I cupped his face. I bent down, inches from his lips. I lingered there. This may be the last kiss I will ever share with him. I kissed him passionately, wanting to remember him with the warmth of his kiss. I pulled away but he grabbed me and pulled me back. I stayed there.

"Adrian, I have to get you help. You're bleeding out." I suddenly cried out. He slowly shook his head. "No Rose. I'm going to stay right here with you. I want to die with the memory of you near me." he simply requested. "I can't let you do that." I said sadly and then ran to get Lissa.

Once Lissa saw him lying on the bed, eyes shut, barely breathing, she screamed in horror. "How could he do this?" She yelled. Caleb rushed in behind her. Quickly, she put her hands on his wrists, ripping off the poorly done bandaging I had just done. She closed her eyes and within minutes healed Adrian's cuts. His eyes opened. "Lissa, why?" He asked, She slapped him across the face. "Don't bother." She said storming off and slamming the door behind her. Caleb trailed after her. "I'll calm her down." he said, leaving us alone again.

I stood there in shock. "How could you do that to me Adrian?" I asked, pain welling up inside me. He stood up. He tried to come closer to me but I held my hand out. "Don't come closer." I said, turning angry. "I just kissed you because I thought it'd be the last thing I could remember you by. I felt sorry for you. I am sorry for everything that's occurred, but I can't help it. You know this. I don't want this to hurt for you, but the reality is, it will hurt. But you have to fight through it. It hurt me more than you can imagine when I had to leave you. When I lost both of our babies." My words were hitting him repeatedly. His face sank every time I said something.

"None of this is going to heal overnight. Hell, it may never heal. But I'm not giving up on my true love. I have been through horrible things just to have what I do now. Dimitri was who I've always wanted to be with. And I'm so sorry for that. But I can't fight my heart. I love you Adrian, I always will, but it's not the love that I can live off of like the love I have for Dimitri." Those last words broke him.

"Well if you love him so much then get the fuck out." He said angrily, "FINE ADRIAN! BE MISERABLE! LIVE YOUR LIFE A DRUNK PISSED OFF BASTARD!" I yelled storming off towards the door, but not before I ran back and kissed him with all the strength I had inside. I pulled away looked him in the eye and said, "This is goodbye."


	26. Alone

I could hear Adrian punch his wall as I walked out of his room and made my way hastily to the front door. I never wanted to do that again. The thought of him dying made me cry even more than I already was. The pain was damn near unbearable at the moment. I had to take deep, ragged breaths. "Oh Adrian." I whispered silently, leaving his house and closing the door firmly behind me.

"Rose are you okay", Lissa asked, concerned. I wiped my eyes quickly and turned to her. "Yeah. I should be good," I sniffled. Her expression was purely sympathetic and I hated it. I didn't want her to feel bad for me. I was not some angst ridden teenager. "Don't feel sorry for me Lissa. I'll be fine. This is something I had to do, and I'm sorry it had to involve you in the process," I thanked her, looking back towards Adrian's house.

"Don't thank me. I do it because I love you. Unconditionally," She said sweetly. This made me smile faintly. We walked silently back to her room with Caleb distantly behind us. He could go away now. One less guy I had to worry about "falling for me". We reached Lissa's room and she opened the door. I was astonished when I found Dimitri sitting in the chair closest to the window, reading an old western novel intently.

"DIMITRI!", Lissa shouted excitedly. His eyes had long since wandered from his book to us. "Ah, Lissa. It's been too long,", he said pulling her in for a brief hug. He released her and moved to me. "I never want to be away from you again," I whispered into his ear as he kissed me lovingly. "Neither do I," he agreed. We broke the intimate exchange and sat close to each other. Caleb trailed in after all of us were done sharing our private hellos. "Hi, I'm Caleb Seville. And you must be the infamous Dimitri Belikov." He boasted. Dimitri chuckled and gave him a firm handshake. "I guess that's me." he replied to Caleb.

"And Rose is your fiance?" He asked curiously, even though I had already told him about my engagement. Dimitri's eyes shifted to me. "Indeed she is my lovely fiance." He confessed. Caleb looked mildly disappointed, but the expression soon wore off and a small smile took it's place. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said to Dimitri. "Same to you." Dimitri said politely.

There was a strange silence, but it was soon filled with small talk between Lissa and Dimitri. Me or Caleb occasionally inputting something. Mostly Lissa asked how he had been since we had left court and how was our house in Russia and when she would get to see it. "How's Adrian?" Dimitri suddenly asked. This made my heart tighten in my chest. None of us had expected such a question from Dimitri. "Uh, he's fine." Lissa lied. Dimitri looked at her and then me knowingly.

"No really. How is he." He asked again, sensing our facade. "He is heart broken, miserable, and suicidal." I admitted. Dimitri's face hardened. "Suicidal?" He repeated in question form. I nodded. "I ended it." I told him. "So basically he will be drunk for a while." Dimitri added. "That's always his excuse. And today he went to the extreme and slit his wrists. I thought he was gonna die right there in front of me." I shivered, recalling the fresh memory that had happened less than an hour ago. "Well he sounds quite devastated by the break up." Caleb teased, which really pissed me off.

"Shut up." I growled at him, not really meaning to sound so harsh. He was quiet. "Ss-orry." He stammered. I looked at him and then down at the floor. "It's whatever." I shook off. I got doubted looks from everyone in the room. Dimitri placed his hand on my knee and I shook it off. "I need to go." I whispered, quickly walking to the door. "What? Wait Rose where are you going?" Lissa asked, concern in her voice. "I'm sorry if I upset you." I heard Caleb say. I turned. "It's nothing. I just need some time to think about things. I'll be back before you know it." I assured them. "I'll come with you." Dimitri added, but I shook my head. "Alone Dimitri. I need some space. I love you with everything in me, but sometimes one needs to be by themselves." I explained, hoping he understood my logic. He sighed heavily. "Very well. I will stay with Lissa and Seville." He informed me. I gave an approving nod before I walked out of the door.

"Where the hell was I going to go?" I asked myself. I walked across the Court's open courtyard, observing every detail. I noticed flowers I had never noticed before now. They were beautifully arranged. I stood and reveled in the beauty, even though there was very little light, since it was barely dawn. I wasn't expecting anyone to be out this early in the area I was in, so I sat down on the stone bench. "Damn Rose, you really have made a mess." I whispered to myself. Flashbacks of Adrian cutting his wrists came back to me, making my breathing stop and my heart sink. "I did that to him." I told myself angrily. "This is all my fault." I growled.

I pulled one of the flowers from the garden. Go figure, it was a red Rose. I threw it back down on the ground. I tensed when I heard footsteps behind me. I hopped up and when I looked behind me, I saw him.


	27. Haunted

It was Dimitri I saw behind me. "Didn't I say I wanted to be alone?" I said to him. He didn't respond. "Being quiet isn't going to change my mind." I said to him. His eyes were closed. "Look at me Dimitri. Please give me the time alone I need." Still he stood there. And then he opened his eyes and my stomach dropped. Red.

"Dimitri no!" I screamed as his mouth connected with my neck. I could feel him draining me and finally I felt my heart beat one last time, and his eyes turned brown. "You're the life in me." He whispered before I died.

I gasped as I sat up and whipped around, almost falling off the stone bench. I couldn't assess what I had just seen. It had felt so real. Why did this keep happening? I kept seeing those red eyes. They were haunting me.

I stood and started walking back towards Lissa's room. I had no idea how long I'd been gone. The scene played in my head the whole time, Dimitri's red eyes and then turning brown. I was confused. I slowly climbed the stairs to her room and knocked on the door.

Caleb answered it. "Oh Rose. There you are." He said, indicating I had been gone a while. I stepped into the room. Dimitri was sitting across the room and I couldn't bring myself to look at him. So instead I went to Lissa.

"Hey Liss, how long was I gone?" I asked. She looked at the clock. "About three hours." She answered. My head spun a bit. "Felt like five minutes." I said under my breath. Dimitri walked over and touched my shoulder. I tensed. "Rose what's the matter? You haven't looked at me since you walked in." He asked. Damn he had caught that.

"Um, nothing's wrong Dimitri." I lied. He didn't ease up. "I just don't feel that great you know." I simply said. He sighed heavily and went back to sit down.

I felt a sting in my chest. I had to fess up to him sometime. I rolled my eyes. "So I think we all need some rest so Lissa, Caleb, I'll see you tomorrow." I told them, hugging Lissa. Caleb nodded. "I guess so, well until then." He said holding his arms out expecting a hug, instead I shook his hand. "Goodnight Caleb."

Dimitri said his goodbyes and followed me out the door. "Hotel?" He asked silently. "I suppose that's best." I answered, still feeling distant and uneasy about the images of earlier. We walked a ways and then he stopped me. "Rose please tell me what is going on." He almost begged. I shook my head. "Not now Dimitri."

He looked at me sternly. "If not now when? I am worried about you Roza." He admitted. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Rest is what I need. I am exhausted that's all." I lied again. "I see. Well since you need rest I'll buy two rooms, since you need space as well." He added gruffly. I could tell he was upset with me now.

This triggered my aggressive side as well. "No you won't. Just because I won't tell you what you want right this minute doesn't mean I don't want you in the same bed as me at night." I responded. He just looked at me. "Roza don't you know me well enough now to tell me what it is that's bothering you?" He said softly. "Yes, but right now I just can't."

He turned and continued walking towards the Court's parking garage. I trailed behind him. We finally made it to a sleek black SUV. He opened the door and let me in, closing it, and then walking around to the driver's side.

He paused outside the door and shut his eyes. I looked away quickly afraid of what I might see when he re-opened them. "Please God if you're listening don't let him be a monster." I whispered into the silence before he got in and started the engine. I opened my eyes cautiously and saw the same warm brown eyes I loved. "Thank you." I said mentally.

He pulled out of the spot and towards the main highway. We drove for about thirty minutes before hitting a city. He exited the interstate and found a luxury hotel. He parked and opened my door, letting me climb out. I took a few steps towards the entrance.

"I'm sorry." I said to Dimitri, but he didn't hear me because he was already at the automatic doors. By the time I wandered up to the check-in counter Dimitri had already paid and gotten our room keys. "Here." He said, handing me a card. "You're room 309 and I'm in 312 just across the hall."

I didn't say anything to him as I took the key and walked to the stairs. Dimitri was close behind. "You know Rose the elevator is right here." He called to me. "Fuck the elevator." I called back and stormed up the stairs. I climbed three flights of stairs before reaching my room.

Dimitri was leaning against his door. I laughed in a frustrated manner. I pushed the card into the slot and opened the door, shutting it abruptly behind me leaving no time for Dimitri to say anything. I threw off my clothes, tied up my hair and crawled into the white bed. I laid in the dark thinking about everything. Dimitri, Adrian, Lissa. Why? Why this mess?

I didn't sleep, so when seven o'clock rolled around and the sun was finally setting, I climbed from the bed. I got in the shower and spent a good forty-five minutes just standing in the streaming water. Once I turned off the water and stepped out I saw Dimitri sitting on the edge of my bed.

I ignored him and dried myself. I brushed out my hair and then brushed my teeth. I walked past him and got my clothes. I pulled them on and then went to the door. I opened it and was about to walk out when Dimitri caught me and pulled me back inside.

I tugged my arm from him, but he just pushed me to the bed. I fell back and was sitting on the edge like he had been. His lips came right to mine, but didn't touch. "Roza please. Tell me what's wrong." He pleaded sweetly.

I didn't say anything, but when his face fell to the side of my neck I broke. "Okay Dimitri, okay! I'm afraid! The images of you with those awful red eyes are stuck in my dreams, my thoughts, my memories! Everytime I shut my eyes there you are, a monster." I confessed, defeated.

He looked deep into my eyes. "And now? Do you see a monster?" He asked innocently. I looked back at him. "No. I see Dimka. The man I love." I answered honestly. He pushed me back and kissed me intently. His hands started to roam my body. "Dimka." I moaned, his kisses making me weak. My head was spinning in a delightful way.

Clothes came off and there was passion, pleasure, and love. I wrapped myself in his arms and laid peacefully. I must've fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes the room was pitch black. I turned to see if Dimitri was still there, but it was too dark and I couldn't feel him.

But then I turned around and just as I had feared I was staring straight into the piercing crimson eyes.


	28. Too Far Gone

I screamed at the top of my lungs and leapt into the dark. I felt around on the ground. He walked closer to me with his horrible eyes looking into my soul and my stomach tightened. "I did it once I can do it again." I whispered, my heart squeezing in my chest.

He got closer and growled into my ear. "Nice to see you again Roza, it seems like you're running from me." He sniffed my hair sensually and added, "And you smell delicious as always." I wanted to cry but I held it in as I took the stake and rammed it into Dimitri.

I looked at him and saw those sweet brown eyes and I froze. It was like someone had turned on the lights and I saw blood all over the bed. "Wow Roza you sure know how to pick a fight." He weakly joked. "Oh my god Dimitri what have I done?" I cried. The stake was lodged just above his heart.

"Dimitri please hold on I am calling 911!" I hollered to him, but he caught my arm. "Roza no you can't do that." He told me. I felt the tears falling from my eyes. I had done this to him, I was the monster. I picked up the phone and dialed Lissa's number.

"Lissa!" I cried. "Dimitri is hurt! He is hurt really bad! I staked him. I don't know what I was thinking but I need your help please." I begged on the verge of hysteria. She said she'd be there soon and I cried thinking about the possibility of her being too late.

Dimitri's eyes were stuck on me, those beautiful brown eyes. What had I done? "Dimitri stay with me please. I'm horrible, I know, just please don't shut your eyes." I kept saying over and over to him. "Roza, don't blame yourself. It was an accident." He weakly told me, and then I burst into tears. "Oh Roza don't cry." He whispered, trying to smooth my hair.

I could feel his breathing slow and I was just about to panic when there was a knock on the door and I bolted to open it. Lissa headed right over to Dimitri and began healing him without a word. Caleb trailed in behind her also not saying anything. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "This is going to hurt." She finally spoke and hurriedly yanked out the stake. Dimitri didn't verbally express the pain, but I could see it in his eyes and I began to cry again.

Lissa put her hands over the wound quickly and began to heal it. Caleb came up behind me and tried to hug me but I pushed him off. "Not now." I spat. He backed away and stood in the corner by the door. After twenty minutes passed Lissa pulled her hands from Dimitri and she stood up, wobbling a little bit.

I hurried over to her and gave her a huge hug. "Thank you so much." I muttered into her ear. She hugged me back and nodded. "Anything Rose." She smiled. "I'll be in my apartment." She told me walking out quietly. I cautiously went over o Dimitri who was beginning to sit up. His bloody and ripped shirt made me wince and stop where I was. He held his arms open and I shook my head.

"I can't." I said aloud. He gave me a disappointed look and I felt my heart sink lower than it already was. "This is all my fault Dimitri. This whole time I was afraid of your monster in my mind, but it turns out I'm the real monster." I told him, suddenly terrified of myself. He got up and started walking to me. "Stop Dimitri! Don't come over here." I said frantically.

"Roza cut it out. This isn't your fault." He reasoned. I laughed. "Not my fault! I put a stake in your chest almost killing you! It is absolutely and entirely my fucking fault!" I yelled back. He shook his head. "Then I forgive you." He said. "That doesn't make it any better. I can't be forgiven. Not this time." I said to him. I can't be here with you Dimitri, I'm sorry. Not after tonight. I can't be near anyone." I continued. "I have to go." I said.

Dimitri quickly grabbed my arm and I pulled back. "I love you Dimitri, but it's not safe for you." I explained. "You are not leaving Rose. It's ridiculous." He argued. "You're not going to change my mind. I'm leaving the hard way or the easy way." I argued back. He balled his hands into fists and gave me a dangerous but sexy look. "You're not leaving." He commanded.

I stopped and thought for a minute. I knew what I had to do. I took a deep breath. "Fine Dimitri. I'll stay. Are you sure you're okay?" I asked. He nodded. "Of course I'm sure." He walked closer and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I am sorry." I whispered. And before he could respond I hit the back of his head and knocked him unconscious.

I couldn't keep the tears from falling from my eyes as I hurriedly changed clothes and rushed out of the door. But before I closed it I whispered to him one last time. "I love you." And then I swiftly left.


	29. Disguise

Running out hurt me more than being staked through the heart, which at this point is what I wished someone would do to me. I had nothing but a small bag of clothes, a toothbrush, and a half used stick of deodorant. As I walked down the street tears fell from my stinging eyes. This was all my fault. I loved Dimitri more than life itself, but it was inexcusable what I had done to him. I was out of control.

I quickly darted into a restaurant called Outsiders, which was ironic. When I walked in, the five people that were quietly eating looked at me. I averted my gaze and pretended like they all weren't staring at me. A slim man greeted me and led me to a seat at the long bar at the back of the small restaurant. I thanked him and laid my forehead gently on the bar's cool wood surface.

"Rose?" A man's voice asked, sounding surprised. I groaned and looked into the beautiful emerald eyes of Adrian. "You've got to be fucking kidding." I muttered. "What are you doing here?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. "I'm wasting my life away." I told him. "Now give me the strongest shit you've got and a razor blade." I demanded. He gave me a worried look. "Oh don't look at me like that. It's not like you haven't tried to kill yourself. I was there remember." I growled.

His eyes dimmed and the excitement on his face faded as the memory of his suicide attempt appeared in his head. It was a low blow but I was in a lethal mood and therefore I didn't particularly care. "Jeez Rose, nice to see you too." He huffed, turning and walking away. "Finally." I mumbled under my breath, but started to feel bad. I stood up and wandered to the front of the small restaurant. I asked the polite man who had greeted me for a pen and a slip of paper. Within seconds he returned with the two. I used the front counter to write a small message to Adrian.

"_Adrian look I'm sorry."_

I put three lines through that and started again underneath it.

"_I didn't mean what I said, but I can't explain. Just know that I never stopped having feelings for you, but my feelings for Dimitri were greater. I'm glad to have seen you again, but it will most likely be the last time you will see me. I'm leaving for good. When you see Lissa please tell her I love her. Goodbye Adrian, for the last time."_

_Rose_

I handed the man the paper. "Can you make sure Adrian Ivashkov, the bartender, gets that paper please? I asked. He nodded and I thanked him, making my way out of the restaurant. I had no idea where I was going to go with only $500 in cash and only one small bag of clothes, but I knew I had to get away from anyone I loved because I would just end up hurting them.

I spotted a motel and ran inside. "How much is a room for one?" I asked the clerk. Her eyes examined me and she finally answered me. "Sixty-five dollars a night." I handed her $195 bucks and accepted my room key. I took my time going to the room. My mind kept wandering back to Dimitri and seeing Adrian at the bar. I opened the door to room 143 and tossed my bag on the bed. When the door shut I observed the extremely sad looking room.

The bed was rock hard, the TV appeared to date back to the seventies, and the towels felt like sandpaper. I sighed heavily. I didn't have much of a choice with limited money. I walked into the tiny bathroom and turned on the water filling the tub almost to the rim. I sat down, water spilling out and slipped under the water. I tried to hold my breath to the point of unconsciousness, but I couldn't manage it. I scrubbed my skin until it hurt and then let out the water.

When I stepped out I dried with the pitiful excuse for a towel and put on the other clothes I had packed. I laid out on the bed and turned on the TV, only to find that it received four channels. I drifted into a very unsettling sleep. To my surprise I didn't have a nightmare or even a dream. It was completely dark until I woke up the next afternoon. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was nearly four. I walked downstairs to the vending machine and bought ten dollars' worth of junk. I devoured the Oreos and Cheetos within seconds and finishing it off with a Pepsi. I decided there was nothing else to do, and so I went to sleep again.

When I woke up the next morning I had a terrible stomach ache. I got up, brushed my teeth with the disgusting hotel toothpaste, and showered again. I put everything back in my bag and went down to the lobby. "Where is the nearest mall?" I asked. "Go two blocks and take a left. You'll see it." The clerk told me. I walked two blocks and took a left, finding myself at the mall. I wandered around on the inside, finally finding a store that looked promising. I browsed the tables and racks of clothes. I found an outfit that was far from the usual. A bright pink keyhole shirt and ripped low-rise whitewashed denim jeans. I bought three bras and five pairs of underwear as well and only paying one hundred dollars for it all.

I searched for a hair salon and found the perfect one near the back. "Excuse me miss but do you have any blonde wigs?" I asked curiously. She thought for a moment. "I believe we have a few in the back, let me go check." She replied. I smiled and waited for her. She came back with two wigs in her hand. One was a chin length, straight blonde and the other was mid-back length with beautiful curls. "How much for the curly one?" I asked. "$125 or $150 for placement." She answered. I handed her $150 and took my seat in one of the chairs. I spent almost three hours in the salon, but when I walked out I had a curly blonde head of hair.

I went into one of the bathrooms and put on the new clothes, throwing the old ones in the bag. I took a look at myself in the mirror and the only noticeable thing was my eyes. I went into an eyeglass store and bought a pair of deep blue contacts. Once I put those in I was no longer Rose. I only had $20 left now so I made my way back to the motel. When I got there I was exhausted. I took off my clothes, but left on my bra and underwear. I climbed into the uncomfortable bed. And I had just shut my eyes when I was grabbed.


	30. Found

**Hey guys if you could review this story series I would appreciate it greatly...Happy Reading ~WhitRenee~**

In one swift movement I kicked my attacker dead in the gut and freed myself. "Who are you?" I growled, watching as the person was doubled over in pain. "Gosh Rose, you don't have to be so rough." A familiar voice said. "DIMITRI! Why are you here?" He looked up at me and stood up straight. "I'm not going to let you get away. And what's with the disguise? Please take those contacts off and that awful blonde wig." He breathed. "I want my Roza back." He looked at me longingly. "The real Roza."

I weighed my options to run, but he was too fast and would catch up. "Look Dimitri, I already told you why I had to run away. Now please leave before I hurt you even more." He pulled me to him and looked me dead in the eyes. "Rosemarie Hathaway you listen to me." He grabbed me by the upper arms. "You are killing me more every second when you are away. I need you to stay with me." The seriousness in his voice hurt me.

"Fine Dimitri, I'll come back." This time I didn't lie. He took my hair and pulled the horrible wig off. He pushed me onto the hard mattress and kissed me passionately. "Oh Roza, please don't ever do this to me again." He kissed my neck and removed my shirt. He continued kissing me until his hands brushed over my thighs.

"Dimitri." I whispered. He unbuttoned my new jeans and yanked them off skillfully. He resumed kissing me and this time rubbing his hands on my bare thighs. I was shuddering under his sensual touch. He unhooked my bra and removed it, handling my breasts with extra care. "Roza I missed you so much." He muttered into my hair.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "It was so hard to leave." I confessed. This made him press himself onto me more. My underwear soon came off, followed by Dimitri's clothes. He mended perfectly with my body. The unison was crucial to our passion. As he rhythmically moved I angled my body just right so we hit our highs at the same time.

When the ultimate climax was coming down we both laid in each other's arms just enjoying being together. He moved his head so he could look into my eyes. "Please remove those contacts." He told me. I smiled and took them out. "Much better." He pulled me to him. "Rose I'm going to say it again, don't ever do that to me again." I felt guiltier than ever now that he was confronting me. "I'm sorry Dimitri. I just thought I had to. I mean just think of how much I hurt you. To think I almost killed you."

He looked at me with compassionate eyes. "You stabbed me because of me. Think about it, it was my fault you were having horrible visions. The old me, well, let's just keep him that way…old news." He kissed my head. "Alright." I couldn't find anything else to say. "Now pack up, we're going back to our home in Russia." He told me. I smiled. "Really?" He nodded.

I hurriedly put my clothes back on. "Let's go. Everything else can stay." I tugged Dimitri out the door and closed it behind me. He had driven here in a black Sedan and we were headed back to see Lissa. Once we arrived back at Court she was already waiting for us with Christian. "ROSE!" She hollered, rushing over and punching me on the arm. "Don't ever do that again!" She fussed. I apologized. Christian eyed me. "So you tried to sneak out on us? Too bad you got busted." He laughed. "Oh Christian how I've missed you." I sarcastically joked.

Lissa's expression turned sad. "Well Rose, I guess this is goodbye." She pulled me into a hug. "For now though." I whispered to her. "I'll be back." I let her go and waved to Christian. "Bye Sparky." I said before heading back to the Sedan. We drove for about an hour before arriving at the airport. Dimitri already had our tickets and handed them to the ticket lady. We boarded the plane and took our seats. Immediately I fell asleep.

Fifteen hours later I woke up feeling completely refreshed and in a good mood. "Well someone needed sleep." Dimitri said to me as I opened my eyes. "And just in time, we are about to land." As if on cue the stewardess came over the intercom and announced that we would be landing in five minutes. I leaned my head on Dimitri's arm.

We landed and exited the plane. I only had a carry-on, but Dimitri had to pick up his suitcase. After he found it, we took a taxi to our house. It was different than I remembered, but good to be home. "Here we are." Dimitri said to me, helping me out of the car and getting his suitcase. "Добро пожаловать дом." He said to me in Russian. I smiled and went into the house.

I gasped when I found our house a total disaster. Everything was ruined. Furniture destroyed. Dishes smashed all over the floor. And worst of all a dead body right in the middle of the floor.


	31. Loss

I walked over to the body with a horrible gut feeling. I held my breath when the body's features came together and I realized who it was lying lifeless on my floor. It was Sydney, the alchemist, and my friend in her own distinct way, lying here dead on my floor. I let out a small choking sound.

"Dimitri! It's Sydney!" I yelped, my voice cracking. He hurried over to the body and held up her head. "She isn't breathing." He stated calmly, something I wish I could be at the moment. "How did she get in her?" I asked worriedly. He sighed. "Alchemists can get in anywhere they please. The real question is why was she here?" I shook my head. "Or better, who killed her?"

Dimitri gave me a sympathetic look. "Sorry Roza, but I think she is gone." He laid her body back down flat on the floor and stood up. He did a quick eye sweep of the room. "It looks like it was most likely a Strigoi attack." I dared to take my eyes off Sydney's body. I hesitantly looked to the far side of the room where the dished were totally smashed against the wood floor. I let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, most likely." I repeated.

I walked over to the door and turned the knob. I let it bring in fresh air. I took deep breaths and while DImitri picked up Sydney's body and covered it with a sheet. "What are you going to do with her?" I asked distantly from the door. "I'm going to lay her in the spare room until I can contact the head alchemist to inform them what has happened." He said collectively. I nodded slightly and he continued to clean up the mess. I was more than thankful that Dimitri could handle any situation.

"I should help you." I finally said after closing the door and staring at the empty space where her body had laid minutes before. "It's okay if you don't feel comfortable doing anything." He assured sweetly. I sucked in all of my initial shock and buried it.

I walked over to the giant mess of dishes I had seen earlier and began cleaning. I picked up half of the dishes when there was a knock on the door. I stood straight up and looked to Dimitri for reassurance. He went over and opened the door. "Hello, I was told there was a murdered alchemist here. Where?" The man was very blunt and made a point to keep his voice low.

Dimitri ushered him into the spare room. I quietly followed at a distance. When DImitri opened the door and removed the sheet from Sydney I thought I could hear the man's breathing stop. "Is this one of yours?" Dimitri asked politely. When the man didn't answer he repeated himself. The man stood silently, unmoving just as Sydney was on the floor.

"That is my dau-," The man stopped abruptly. "Yes. It is one of ours." He cut himself off from any emotion after that. "I will take her from here. Thank you Mister Belikov." Dimitri allowed the man to carry her out to his car unseen.

When he drove off I realized that the man had meant to say that Sydney was his daughter. This made me feel almost guilty for not realizing it sooner. "It isn't our fault. When we clean up the mess we can look more into it. Here Roza, let me finish this." He offered. I sighed, suddenly exhausted. "If we both clean it will be sooner done and sooner forgotten." And with that we continued cleaning up the remnants of a painful scene.

When we were done I let Dimitri carry me into the bedroom. I looked around and felt like I was in a stranger's house and not my own.

"Dimka tonight has been a rude reawakening into reality. I was so caught up with us that I didn't remember how awful this world is and now Sydney, dead." My voice gave out on me and a tear slipped out. He cupped my face with his hands tenderly. "Roza, it's going to be okay. I promise." He hugged me close to him.

"Do you trust me?" He asked innocently. "Yes." I sniffled pitifully. "Then let me fix this. I know our homecoming wasn't exactly pleasant but I promise I will do everything to get this place back to normal, and better." I believed Dimitri. He always kept his word. I was just about to kiss him when I caught sight of a pair of malicious red eyes staring right through our window.


	32. Chase

I jumped up, instinctively grabbing a make-shift weapon. "What?" Dimitri asked cautiously, but calmly. Just then the eyes disappeared. "There were eyes out there!" I exclaimed, a little angry that I didn't show Dimitri.

"Rose, it's okay. Are you sure?" He asked doubtfully. I turned to him. "Why would I lie about it?" I sort of snapped back unfairly. "I'm just asking because it's been a hard night. I just want to make sure that you know what you saw."

I took a deep breath. "Yes I saw them." I replied, my voice uneven but much more level. He went over and peered out of the window. "I don't see any sign-" He stopped and a knife whizzed right past his cheek.

"Dimitri!" I yelled defensively. I ran over to him and knocked him to the ground making sure he wasn't hurt. He had a small cut on his cheek and I let out a small growl. "What was it?" I asked rapidly. "Strigoi." He confirmed.

I hopped out of the window and assessed my surroundings. It was dark, but the street lights gave enough light for me to see around me. I looked to the right and then left. There was nothing. "Shit." I cursed quietly.

I waited another five minutes against the side of the house and when I figured that whatever had been there was gone, climbed back into the window. I hurried over to where I had left Dimitri but he wasn't there.

My heart rate increased at the thought of him not being here. "Dimitri?" I asked the empty room. There was no reply so I burst through the door and into the hall. "Dimitri?" I called louder. Still no answer.

"Fuck." I said angrily. I turned into the living room, but he was not there either. I stood still and listened silently. There wasn't a sound in the house. I was getting scared so I flung open the front door and ran outside.

Just as I took a step I felt my gut twinge. I instantly crouched down just in time to see a Striogoi man run towards me. I pulled out the knife I had earlier and sliced as he ran past me. I yelled and fell backwards. I guessed I had cut because there was blood on the knife.

I stood up and ran around the side of the building. "Dammit Dimitri." I said into the night. I turned around to see if anything was there. There was no one. I turned back around and saw the red eyes glaring at me.

I stanced myself for an attack. The Strigoi ran again at me, but this time I lost sight of him for a split second and the next thing I know he is being propelled backwards. Dimitri jumps down from the rooftop and clutches my waist.

"Dimitri." I smiled. He nodded in response and continued towards the Strigoi on the ground. "Why are you here?" He growled. The Strigoi squirmed under his foot. "Why would I tell you." He spat nastily.

Dimitri's foot pressed harder. The Strigoi was uneasy under the pressure and clamed his teeth together. "They want you Belikov." He cringed and then Dimitri skillfully staked him right in the heart.

He turned to me, hair dangling in his eyes. "Were you hurt?" He asked me urgently. "No." I answered. I looked at him deeply. "Are you okay?" I asked in return. He didn't answer so I stood up and walked over to him.

"Your cheek." I touched him gently. "It's nothing." He brushed off. "I'm going to go start a fire. We're going to have to burn this one." He gestured to the dead Strigoi.

"Let the sun burn him. It's nearly dawn." I could see faint pink clouds in the distant sky. He shook his head, but before he protested I lead him inside.

I took him into the kitchen and rinsed his cut with warm water. "It's not that bad." I admitted. He took my wrists and looked into my eyes deeply. "Roza, I love you." His words struck me wrongly.

"I love you too." I said wearily. "They want me back Roza. They want me back." He told me. His voice had a hint of fear and this made my heart sink. "NO." The only thing I could manage to say. They wanted Dimitri back and they weren't going to spare any lives that were in their way.


	33. Vanished

I laid in the bed, staring at the ceiling, the Strigoi's words playing on repeat in my head. _"They want you Belikov."_ The thought secretly scared me. I couldn't lose him again. I felt Dimitri move beside me. I looked over at him and when I saw he was still asleep, slipped into the bathroom.

I had just gotten in the shower when Dimitri surprised me and pushed me up against the shower wall. "Goodmorning Roza." He said in a deep sexy voice. I moaned quietly. "Hello Dimka." I whipped around and took in the full view of him. It never got old.

"I thought you were asleep." I whispered. He smirked. "I fooled you." His hand slipped between my legs and his other in my hair. I let out a louder moan. "Oh Dimka." His face dropped below my belly button. I couldn't help but continue to moan as he worked wonders on me.

He got up and pressed a deep kiss to my lips. He lifted me onto him and rocked against the tile. "Dimka," I breathed in pleasure. Dimitri gave low moans as well and as I gripped his back he gently tugged my hair. "I love you Roza." He groaned. I gripped him tighter in response. I gave one last moan and crashed with ecstasy.

Dimitri lowered me back to my feet, but still kept me in his arms. "You are amazing Roza." He said sweetly. I laughed at him sarcastically. "I didn't do any work." I pointed out to him. He looked at me intensely. "So, it's not what you do, it's just you." He smiled sexily.

I gripped him tightly before letting go and rubbing myself down with soap. I wrapped a towel around myself and enjoyed watching Dimitri get out naked. I turned around and dropped my towel. Dimitri walked up behind me and sucked lightly on my neck. I smiled. "I need to go to the store. Are you coming or going to wait here?" I asked.

He was quiet for a minute, thinking. "I better stay. Will you be okay by yourself?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice. I touched his cheek. "You are seriously asking me that?" I said cockily. He grabbed me and kissed me passionately. "Don't take too long." He whispered.

I hurried and got dressed. I kissed Dimitri and then made my way to the car we took from Court. I drove off, looking back at the house. I ended up roaming around for at least an hour. I didn't find a grocery store so I cursed and picked up the phone. I called Dimitri but he didn't answer. I called again and he didn't answer. He usually never has his phone on him.

I turned the car around and headed back home. A black SUV was the only car that rolled past me on my way home. I got home and opened the door. "Dimitri I need you to come with me. Russia is too confusing." I called through the house. There was no answer. I walked around, but there was no Dimitri. "DIMITRI?" I yelled. I looked in the backyard and he wasn't there. I began to panic. My phone rang and I hurriedly answered it. "Dimitri where are you?" I asked abruptly. "Sorry hun this isn't Dimitri. But you can save him if you can find us. We would take you over him. You probably should have listened to him and burned me when you had the chance. I escaped before the sun could waste me." An evil voice growled and then the phone cut off.

Without thinking I ran to the car jumped in and sped off.


	34. Search

My head spun as I tried to navigate the narrow and complicated Russian streets. The Strigoi bastard that was supposed to have wasted in the sun had taken my Dimitri! I tried to swallow the horrible emotions down, but anger and hatred lingered. Why did I leave alone? I should have known we were never safe. I made a sharp turn and saw a gas station. I hurried inside.

"Excuse me sir, do you have a map?" I asked the cashier. He paused and looked at me. His blank stare hinted that he didn't speak English. So, I pointed over his shoulder to a laminated map. He looked and pulled the map from the wall, handing it to me. I glued my eyes to it, searching for any clues to Dimitri's whereabouts. I saw a small unidentified area on the outskirts of the map. I memorized the surroundings and turned back to the cashier.

"Where?" I asked and pointed to the map. The man looked confused, but then he wrote on a tiny slip of receipt paper. He took the paper and handed it to me. I looked at the address scribbled down. I nodded in gratitude and handed him twenty Russian dollars. I started the car and rapidly punched in the address on the GPS. The place was forty-nine minutes away. I began driving and eventually began speeding down the highway.

The trip was horrifying since awful scenarios kept playing in my head. If anything happened to Dimitri I would never stop blaming myself and I would never stop finding a way to torture and kill any Strigoi that crossed my path. Fortunately I was almost to the destination and I could save Dimitri. The area was now only trees and open fields. The GPS beeped and I turned right on a long dirt road. I decided to park behind a large tree and leave the car to survey the surroundings.

I could only see a small building up ahead. It looked big enough to be a house, but it wasn't a house. It looked more like a storage shed. I crouched down in the tall grass and watched as two men came out of the building. Assuming they were either human or dhampir because they didn't burn in the sun, I examined them. One was tall and thin with only a small handgun at his side, and the other was shorter but still thin with the same gun. They both had their arms crossed, looking out into the space in front of them.

I made my move when they began talking to each other; I made my way around the back and climbed onto the roof, overlooking everything. I saw the two men and locked my eyes on them. They were deep in conversation when I hopped from the roof and broke both their necks in two smooth movements. I checked their pulses and made sure they were dead, taking both guns and checking all of their pockets. Once I searched them I dragged their bodies into the tall grass, making sure they were hidden and continued inside carefully.

The inside was dimly lit and clear glass doors and windows were on a series of hallways. It looked like a strange jail. I crouched down and went deeper inside. I thought all of the rooms were empty until I looked to my right and saw Dimitri strapped to a chair with tubes stuck into both his arms. I took a deep breath and was just about to slink around the corner when everything went black.


	35. Escape

My vision cleared and my eyes flew open, only for me to realize I was bound and hung upside down. I wiggled a bit, but to no avail. I did manage to turn myself slightly and I could now see Dimitri about six feet in front of me, leaning forward a bit towards the ground.

"Dimitri," I whispered, trying to get his attention. His head twitched gently in my direction, eyes wary. "Dimitri, where are we," I asked quietly. He tried to answer but it was like no sound was coming from his mouth. "What is it Dimitri," I started breathing heavily, something was wrong with him. The tubes attached to him caught my attention again and I tried to think of a way to get to him.

I remembered that I had weapons on me, but then figured that whoever knocked me out unarmed me, too. I wiggled my hands viciously, gritting my teeth as I gave myself painful rope burn. I managed to let one slip out of the rope and began untangling myself.

By the time I was virtually free I heard voices. "Shit," I cursed silently. I quickened my pace and got the last knot untied around my foot, dropping to the floor and going instantly into stealth mode. "I'm going to get you out," I said in a hushed tone to Dimitri. I crouched down and scurried over to him. I noticed that the door was no longer glass so they must've moved us to another room. This was good and bad. Bad since I could no longer see who was coming, but good since that meant no one could see me unhooking Dimitri.

I turned on my guardian instincts and listened to every sound. I worked quickly to pull out all of the tubes carefully from him. One beeped and I cussed under my breath. I heard a pause outside the door and prayed that no one came in, but never stopped working to get Dimitri free. I pulled out the last tube and he moved, like he was waking up. "R-Roza," he groggily asked. "Yes Dimitri, it's me, we are getting out of here, but I need your help," I explained to him.

Lifting him from the chair and guiding him over to the opposite side of the room, away from the direct entrance of the door I told him, "What happened here? Do you know who took you? Are you okay," I asked simultaneously without a breath in between questions. He put his hand on the side of my face and leaned in to me. "Strigoi, they want us Roza, need us. That's why we aren't dead, yet," he said the last part with such assurance it made me tremble inside.

"We aren't dying any time soon," I replied. I helped him to his feet. "Can you walk," I looked at him and he looked a bit unstable. He took a step forward, hobbled and then continued walking lightly across the room. "I think I'm fine," he told me, this time with a little more power behind his voice. I heard the entrance door open and close. I shoved Dimitri against the wall, moving towards the human guard with a gun. I covered his mouth and snapped his neck as quickly as I could. I drug his body to the opposite side of the room and waited by the door. Shortly after another one walked in and I did the same to him, dragging his body next to the other.

"We should be able to sneak out," I said to Dimitri. He nodded and I looked carefully out of the door. I saw no one, but I knew there had to be others eventually wondering where the two men went. So I signaled Dimitri and he made his way next to me. I pointed to the right. "I see light down there, and it doesn't look artificial. I think it might lead us outside. Do you think you can make it down there," I asked, looking into his sweet brown eyes. He nodded again and I stared for a second longer. I went over to the dead men and pulled their guns off of them. I handed one to Dimitri. "Here, you know what to do," I looked at him and cocked mine. We made our way down the long hallway. I looked to my left and could now see the rooms with the glass doors. I signaled Dimitri to keep going and I saw the door I had come through up ahead. I pushed the door open and pointed the gun in both directions and then up at the roof, but there was no one.

I began running back towards the SUV I had parked about half a mile down the road. I looked behind me and saw Dimitri wheezing. "Dimitri," I went over to him. "The drugs Roza, they are slowing me down," he took long breaths, trying to breathe. "We have to keep moving," I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me. Finally we made it back to the car. I opened the door and hotwired it. I helped Dimitri in and pushed on the gas. I couldn't see the warehouse anymore.

In about an hour we made it back home. "We have to leave Russia," I told Dimitri, who I had placed on the bed. "Roza," he sat up. "They want us, no matter where we go," his eyes were deep and serious. "I know, I know. But we can't stay in this house. It is too easy of a target. They've already been here, they will know we came back here," I started to panic a little.

Dimitri got off of the bed and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me. I hugged him tight. "This mess, it has to be dealt with. We can't keep running from it," He kissed my forehead. I looked up at him. "I know, but you aren't at your best right now, and I don't think I can do this alone," I countered. He smirked at me. "You rescued me countless times alone. I will regain my strength in a day, but we need to make headway. We know now where they are, we have an advantage. We will make a plan, go back, and fix this, end this," Dimitri said, with a dark voice.

I walked into our little office and was greeted by a tall, pale, and shadowed figure saying, "Hello Roza."


End file.
